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I remember wondering why IBM would choose such a motto for the company—just “Think”. Doesn’t everybody think?, I thought. Now I understand the importance of that simple one-word motto, because often we just don’t think enough. For example, how frequently are we engaging our mouths, saying things without thinking? And that usually ends up causing all kinds of trouble.
A friend once told me that her teenage daughter and she had agreed to each wear a bracelet that says “Think”, as a way to remind them to think before they speak. Well, I got to thinking about that, and decided that was a good idea. Just to remind myself to think about what I’m going to say before I say it. Don’t you think this could have dramatic positive results for all of us—if we just took time to think more?
Psalm 141:3 says, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Perhaps wearing a bracelet that says “Think” will help us to set guards over our mouths so that we think about what we say before we say it.
Today I want to give you an acrostic of the word “think,” to help you determine whether you should say what you are starting to say or not.
T is true: Is it true? Do you know for certain that what you are just about to say is true? If not, don’t say it.
If you think before you speak and determine that you’re not sure what you’re about to say is true, this will eliminate most gossip. Gossip is usually something we’ve heard but don’t really know for sure, but we freely pass it on. After all, it’s juicy and we just want to tell somebody that juicy tidbit. But if we start to think before we speak, and ask ourselves, “Is this true?”, we’ll go a long way to eliminating gossipy talk—and that’s a very good thing.
Also, it will keep you from imagining bad things that could happen, like “They’ll probably lay off a lot of us,” or “I’m sure he’ll give me a bad review.” You don’t know those imagined bad things to be true, so don’t say them to yourself or anyone else.
H is helpful. Are the words you’re just getting ready to say going to help anyone? If not, don’t say them.
Ephesians 4:29 is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible, in my opinion, and if we practiced it, we would think before we speak. It says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Some years ago I began praying this verse into my life, and I encourage you to do the same. Then I noticed that when I would start to say something, I would often hear that inaudible voice of God’s Spirit saying, “Is this going to help anyone else; will it benefit those who listen?” That has caused me to stop in the middle of lots of sentences, as I realized that I didn’t need to say what I was planning to say because it wasn’t helpful to anyone else.
Can you even imagine the wonderful changes that would take place on our jobs, in our churches, and in our homes if we determined not to speak any words that were unwholesome, that did not benefit others? That would eliminate griping and complaining; it would keep us from nagging people; it would cause us to stop passing on gossip. My goodness, it would make a difference in the way we live.
So, today, think about what you’re going to say before you say it. It’s so much easier to swallow those unhelpful words than it is to try to recover from them once they are said. If it’s not helpful, just don’t say it.
I stands for inspiring. Will your words inspire the person who hears them in some way, even if it’s very small? If not, maybe you don’t need to say them.
Now I need to make it clear that I’m talking about inspiring someone for good purposes, because it’s possible to inspire someone to do something wrong. But how wonderful it is when someone speaks inspiring words to us. I remember a day when I particularly needed some encouragement, out of the clear blue a friend simply said something to me that inspired me. It gave me the encouragement I needed at that moment to keep on keepin’ on, as we say.
I often try to remember to say anything nice that I think, whether it’s a compliment on someone’s outfit, or a word of appreciation for their help. If you’re thinking something nice about someone, then why not express it in words and then you speak words of inspiration. So, if we think before we speak, we will not only be careful not to say things we should not say, but it will remind us to say those inspiring things that we often think but don’t say.
Remember, your words have power; use that power wisely to inspire others. They will come back to you in a wonderful way. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” If we all made it a daily practice to think before we speak, our words would be gracious, and gracious words have power to bring peace in stressful situations and healing to our bodies, because stress is reduced by gracious words.
N is for necessary. Speak only what is necessary. In other words, don’t talk too much.
Proverbs 10:19 says, “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.” And Jesus said “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).
Talking too much can be a real problem. They tell us that women talk more than men, and if that is true, we need to be doubly careful about how much we say. We don’t need to fill empty spaces with empty words. Silence can indeed be golden, and for those of us who are talkers, we need to take seriously this exhortation to speak only what is necessary.
I think we’re all aware that a person who talks too much is not a person we particularly enjoy being with. Listening to others is the skill we want to develop, so that we give others the respect of listening to them instead of inflicting our unnecessary words on anyone who happens to be near. James admonishes us to be quick to listen and slow to speak—very good advice (James 1:19).
Finally, in our acrostic, there is:
K — kind. We just need to think about how we can say what we have to say in a kind way.
How many times have words been spoken to you in an unkind manner, and while the message itself was not necessarily a problem, the words used to send the message were very hurtful. Oh, how important it is for us to think before we speak. Ask yourself, “How would I feel if someone said that to me?”
Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” When you’re getting ready to speak, ask yourself if the words you will speak will cheer someone up, encourage an anxious heart. And in the 15th chapter of Proverbs, we read that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). It is amazing to see the difference it makes when you think before you speak, and you choose words that are gentle and kind. Those words become words of life, and they are pleasing to the Lord Jesus.
Can we get serious about thinking before we speak? It will make us more like the Lord Jesus, and we’ll be a much more effective witness for him.
Here’s our acrostic again:
T – Is it true?
H – Is it helpful?
I – Is it inspiring?
N – Is it necessary?
K – Is it kind?
You’ve heard it said that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, I would strongly disagree because words can indeed hurt, and they can hurt deeply. And you know, once words are spoken, they can never be unspoken. So, one of the most Christ-like things we can do is to think before we speak so that our words don’t hurt others.
Maybe it would be a good idea to do what my company did – put THINK signs all around us to remind us that our words have power and we need to think before we speak.