Where Seldom Is Heard, An Extraneous Word

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2, NIV 1984).

“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7–8, NIV 1984).

Do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned. (James 5:12, NIV 1984).

My Musings – “I love my brother-in-law, but on occasion it can take him forty-five minutes to explain something that took only ten minutes to happen!” (“Becoming Bulletproof,” Evy Poumpouras). We probably all know someone like that. Maybe it is us. Sometimes (others might say often), my musings are like that. Vain repetitions when my words could be few. Trying to impress with many words when a simple yes or no will do.

My Advice – My dad was a man of few words. but when he spoke, each word counted. Few if any words were extraneous. Come to think of it, he probably wouldn’t have said “extraneous” when “not important” was what he meant.

The above texts are useful in our spiritual walk, but also in our everyday encounters. If we say yes (or no), and always mean it, not using many words when a few will do, people will not think we are mere babblers and what we say is worth listening to.