few words

"When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform a sign of some sort. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer." ~Luke 23:8 NIV

"One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that is makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent, who will take control? ...Silence is intimately related to trust.

The tongue is our most powerful weapon of manipulation. A frantic stream of words flows from us because we are in a constant process of adjusting our public image. We fear so deeply what we think other people see in us, so we talk in order to straighten out their understanding...One of the fruits of silence is the freedom to let our justification rest entirely with God...Bonhoeffer wrote, 'Real silence, real stillness, really holding one's tongue comes only as the sober consequence of spiritual stillness.'

It's important to observe ourselves to see how often our speech is a frantic attempt to explain and justify our actions. Experiment with doing deeds without any words of explanation...Try to allow God to be your justifier.

Discipline yourself so that your words are few and full. Become known as a person who has something to say when you speak. Maintain plain speech. Do what you say you will do. 'It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay' (Eccl 5:5) When our tongue is under our authority, the words of Bonhoeffer become true of us: 'Much that is unnecessary remains unsaid. But the essential and the helpful thing can be said in a few words.' ~from Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster