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THAT OLD AND FAMILIAR "FOOT IN MOUTH" DISEASE:
Why some things are better left unsaid

To quote from a man who was much wiser than most of us will ever be, in this lifetime anyhow, the great King Solomon said, "Whoso keepeth his tongue, keepeth his soul" (Proverbs 21:23). It is always wise to be prudent when we speak for "A prudent man concealth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness." (Proverbs 12:23) How often have all of us spouted off with a bunch of foolishness that really hasn't solved an issue and in the end only made us look the fool. I know I have and more than once.

I recall a time, as I write this, when I really blasted a dear friend, someone I love very much and would not intentionally hurt but on this particular day my tongue jumped way ahead of my brain. In the first place I interfered in something that wasn't really any of my business to start with. The situation was between her and another person. I didn't like what was going on. Let me explain; this dear friend is an exceptionally intelligent person, very capable. She can put her mind and hand to just about anything and be a success. She is extraordinary. She also has a fault I do not like, two of them, she likes to gossip and she has a backhanded, rather cruel way of putting others down, making them look like idiots from time to time. She does it without forethought. Ninety percent of the time, one on one, she is a very lovely person. This one day she was cutting down another person in front of me that I also love dearly. I bit my tongue for a little while and the fire flared into a roaring blaze. I let this dear lady have it. I went up one side, down the other and right back around again. I pointed out every fault I thought she had, even the unimportant, petty stuff, everything that pop into my mind. I was horrible and it was a terrible scene. I completely lost my "cool". Suffice to say, I hurt her deeply. It was uncalled for. It was not handled in the way it should have been. I said a thousand things that didn't need to be said and other things that probably needed to be said but in a kinder way and would have been had I put my brain in gear before I allowed my tongue to go into action. Needless to say, our friendship was damaged and is now scarred for life. We are still good friends but a lot of the real closeness has been tarnished. We are inclined to "walk on eggshells" around each other. We aren't as open with each other as we used to be. This happened over two years ago.

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