Solomon said, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” (Proverbs 10:19)
I was in a business meeting several years ago when the conversation took a rather tense turn, to the point of becoming more than a little heated.
One of the men in the meeting — the principle involved — called a time out and said, “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He then left the room and left us there waiting.
A few minutes later he returned, saying “I didn’t like where this was going, and I didn’t want to say something I would regret. So I decided a little break might do us good.”
We were then able to continue our discussion on a softer level, ultimately coming to a resolution. The moment of silence worked wonders.
…he who holds his tongue is wise. (Proverbs 10:19)
There’s a time to talk things out; we all know that. But there’s also a time to put our words on hold and say nothing at all.
We need to recognize those moments when added words won’t bring about a solution, they’ll just cause us to dig the hole a little deeper for ourselves.
When you’re tempted to go on and on and on about something, (especially when you know you’re right) try this instead: Take a break from talking about it. Put your words on hold. See what a little silence can do.
