Do you talk too much?

I do.

Saying that though, I feel the need to qualify it a little. Providing intensive family therapy, I often have to balance how much I talk with how much I listen. I always try to listen more than I talk, however I realize that, at times, I get carried away.

This got me thinking. How much time do we spend talking, and when we're talking, how many words are wasted? How much time do we spend around the proverbial "water cooler" talking about things that really don't matter?

As always, we look to Scripture for insight regarding how much we talk, and what we talk about.

Consider Proverbs 20:19 -

"A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much."

Or Proverbs 10:19 -

"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

As we know, "Proverbs" are general statements of truth - they are not absolutes; though it appears true that the more we talk, the more we tend to sin. As you navigate your week, whether at home, school, work or elsewhere, consider how much you talk, and the content of your discussions.

Well respected Bible teacher, Alistair Begg used this small poem (author unknown) in a recent sermon on this subject:

If all that we say in a single day,
With never a word left out,
Were painted each night in clear black and white,
It would prove queer reading, no doubt.

And then just suppose 'ere our eyes would close,
we must read the whole record through,
Then wouldn't we sigh, and wouldn't we try,
A good deal less talking to do.

And I more than half think that many a kink
Would be smoother in life's tangled thread,
If half that we say in a single day
Were forever left unsaid.