When the mouth doesn’t match the words said.
The age of modern technology has greatly improved the seven second delay that use to occur during live broadcast. They had to wait seven seconds so they would hear everything said before they answered, or they would talk over one another and make no sense at all. Even with the improvement of this technology, you can still watch commercials where the words don’t match the movements of their mouths.
Don’t you wish we all had seven second delays on our mouths? We wouldn’t have to say ‘I’m sorry’, so often. We could take those seven seconds and think about what was just said to us and process it before opening our mouths to reply. There is a quote by Abraham Lincoln: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. Another by Mark Twain: It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. Sometimes it is better just to hold your tongue, since we don’t have a delay button, and take some time to sort our thoughts out. Waiting to respond to something also gives us time to remove emotions from the equation. There are a few of us who react instead of respond. That can be a good thing if you are passionate and knowledgeable about a subject in which you are well versed. But if you are talking off the top of your head, it can come back to bite you in the backside! God in his perfect way, designed us to listen more than speaking. Thus he gave us two ears and only one mouth.
There are some people in this world who cannot tell the truth if they were paid to do it. I think they are craving acceptance or attention, and have a low self-esteem. Once they start lying they have to tell another lie to cover that one, and soon they are embroiled in a web of lies so tight, it will eventually choke the life from them. Imagine if they had a seven second delay installed, wouldn’t they then have a chance to rethink the first lie, or any of the following lies.
The best thing we can do is follow the Bible teachings: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Never to be ashamed is something to strive for, learning the truth, and be approved by God and you peers.
As parents it is important to hold our children accountable for any and all lies they tell. To build characters when a child is small, is easier than trying to retrain an adult. The Bible says: ‘the truth shall set you free.’ So instill the wisdom of always telling the truth in your children, so they can be known as a person of honor when they reach adulthood.
We as authors have to be careful when we repeat quotes to give the credit where it is due. Not to do this is called plagiarism and it is a lie, and steeling. We always want our words to be our own, to be known as honest, and authors of character!
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
James 1:19
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.
Ecclesiastes 5:2-3
Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
Proverbs 17:28
Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Proverbs 29:20
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
Proverbs 21:23