New Series: Wisdom for Work from Proverbs

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Series: Wisdom for Work from Proverbs
Devotional: 1 of 7

When there are many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable, but one who restrains his lips is wise. (Proverbs 10:19)

Hamilton might be the fastest-moving musical of all-time. Sung at an average of 144 words per minute, the show is more than twice the speed as average-paced productions like Phantom of the Opera, largely because of how much the show’s protagonist, Alexander Hamilton, has to say.

When Hamilton first meets Aaron Burr on stage, Burr is blown away by how much Hamilton can talk. So he offers Hamilton some free advice: “Talk less…Fools who run their mouths off wind up dead”—a not so subtle foreshadowing of the day Hamilton’s “many words” will lead Burr to kill him in history’s most infamous duel.

That’s a good, albeit dramatic, case study of what God is warning us about in Proverbs 10:19. I love how the New Living Translation renders today’s passage: “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”

We’d be wise to apply that advice to our work where “many words” can be particularly harmful to others and ourselves. How might we apply this wisdom to our work today? Here are three practices.

#1: Be content not having content on every topic. We’re living at a time where many of us feel pressured to say something about everything—largely because we see our colleagues weighing in on every topic on social media (including topics they know nothing about). Refuse to be that fool. Can’t help yourself? Consider quitting these services.

#2: Don’t share more information than you have to. I once had a professor define advertising as “telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth.” That always made me queasy. But I do believe this wisdom holds in certain situations where telling the “whole truth” could defame one of God’s image bearers. Take the example of telling your team that you had to let somebody go. Giving every detail and reason for that decision is unnecessary and unwise. “Restrain your lips” accordingly. 

#3: Use software to check yourself before you wreck yourself (and others) in writing. Tools like Grammarly can be super helpful in pointing out phrases in emails and other written messages that may come across as offensive to others and where fewer words might be prudent.

Proverbs 17:27 says that “a truly wise person uses few words.” Be wise with your words for the glory of God and the good of others today!