Our Words

Yesterday Brian Bill had a short blog entry called Our Words. I liked it so much that I’m going to reproduce it here.

I came across something today that serves as a helpful corrective when we’re tempted to say something we shouldn’t.  Using the word HALT, we need to be careful in our conversations when we’re…

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

Proverbs 12:18: “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 29:22: “An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man commits many sins.”

Proverbs 29:20: “Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Proverbs 21:23 challenges us to be careful about our conversations: “He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself from calamity.”

Proverbs 15:28, in the NASB, challenges us to think before we answer: “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”

Lots of wisdom in that HALT acronym. The “H” caught me with its reminder that when I am hungry, I am more likely to have a short fuse, which of course leads to the “A” for anger. 

So if you find yourself starting to say things you shouldn’t, remember that it’s better to HALT than to wish you had.