Dear Violet, Mia, Noelle, Charlie, Henry and George,

Proverbs 21:20-23 (ESV) says…

20 “Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”

Some people think using a lot of words makes them sound more convincing or right. It makes what they are saying more substantial and weighty. But little words like “stop” or “no” and “yes” or “I love you” are all very powerful.

In life oftentimes, you just need sixteen words to say something profound (vs.20) or just eleven words (vs.21) or eighteen words (vs.22) or just twelve words (v.24.) And think about how much of life these few words cover.

These 57 words cover several major areas of life.

  1. The benefits of careful saving and avoiding rampant consumption for selfish reasons.
  2. The keys for finding true fulfillment in living that benefits others.
  3. The power that is in careful planning and execution of the plan against seemingly impossible odds.
  4. The ability to keep yourself from messing up everyone’s day with ill-chosen words that hurt someone else.
So think about it this way:
Eyes:             Focus on the things that are important.
Ears:              Listen eagerly.
Brain:            Stop and think.
Mouth:          Ask questions.
Tongue:        Be slow to speak.

Seek to live a wise day…and keep your mouth and tongue so that you don’t get into trouble over words.

Assignment

If you are my grandchild, then I have a reward for you if you complete this assignment. Ask your parents what the first two or three words were that you understood and said to them as a young child. Then send me an email and tell me what those words were and why they are so very important. If you do this assignment I will give you a reward.

Take a look at this to learn more: Word Economy