Back in the day, my dad had a little phrase he used to say. “A little birdy told me…” he’d tell us, whenever we were up to no good.
I always wondered how he knew, but I guess with five sisters in the house news had a way of getting around.
I’ve come to realize over time just how true that is. News does indeed get around. If you tell one person something, you might as well tell five, because, as you know, people love to talk, especially when they’re talking about things that they shouldn’t.
One of my favorite television characters is Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey, and one of the things she’d often say is, “That’s not my story to tell.”
Oh how I wish I would have learned this years ago. Years before I let my words spill out, and cut another down. For I’ve come to learn that a wise woman will guard the reputation of another, and keep their story to herself.
Last night I got to reading Ecclesiastes 10:6 where to my surprise, I happened upon that little birdy from my past,
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
(Ecclesiastes 10:20, NIV)
Solomon is warning us to keep our thoughts and words in check. He knew the potential that words have to travel, and more importantly the potential those words have to wound.
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Tilling the Soil
Weigh your words well this week. Speak well of others. Be a confidant to those who need a compassionate and trustworthy friend.
Planting Hope
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. (Ecclesiastes 10:20, NIV)
Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife