Prov. 31:26

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom"
This is one I truly desire to be true of me (not that they all aren't, but this one is tricky.) I pray for wisdom all the time. It's such an important thing to have. I can't say I love the gray hairs that come along with it though! Haha. However, that doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things anyway! A lot of people think I'm quiet or shy, but a lot of times I keep my mouth shut in fear of saying something foolish. It's happened plenty of times before. Sometimes, even when I know what I'm saying, it comes out completely the wrong way. I try to do a lot of thinking before I open my mouth. If I don't, I often regret what I say, or wish I'd said it differently. Proverb 17:28 states, "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding." But when I have something important and that needs to be said (such as witnessing or standing up for what is right), it's just as bad not to speak up. However, we need wisdom to handle such things appropriately. Scripture says more than I ever could on wisdom in chapter 4 of Proverbs. It's a fairly short chapter, so I want to share it all today. It says:

"¹Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
²For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
³For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
⁴He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
⁵Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
⁶Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
⁷Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
⁸Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
⁹She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
¹⁰Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
¹¹I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
¹²When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
¹³Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
¹⁴Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
¹⁵Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
¹⁶For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
¹⁸But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
¹⁹The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
²⁰My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
²¹Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
²²For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
²³Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
²⁴Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
²⁵Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
²⁶Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
²⁷Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."

"and in her tongue is the law of kindness"

James 3:10 says, "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." We've all been there. We've told someone something nice to their face and then complained about them behind their backs. Those are the times we need to bridle our tongues. When the devil is tugging at your weak spots, this is the time to be silent and resist the temptation to say something hurtful. (Also, the perfect time to pray for wisdom and strength!) Psalm 39:1 says, "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me." The tongue can get you in trouble faster than anything, and I know, because I've been there. It's deffinately not something that I am proud to admit. It's a struggle I still face.  Just as our tongue can be a HUGE stumbling block, it can be a great blessing as well. Have you ever had someone tell you just the right thing in a loving way to make you realize what you're doing is wrong, or to make you feel good about a decision you've made. I wish that everything I said to everyone came out that way, instead of saying something I shouldn't. We need to pray for wisdom in what to speak and what not to speak. There's a great verse in the bible that states how we should treat others: Ephesians 4:32 states, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." May we all learn to use our mouths for wise, important, and kind things rather than hurtful, untrue, and evil things.