5 Ways To Think Before You Speak

Did you know that your tongue is a muscle and that it is the strongest muscle in your body? Did you also know that the tongue is one area of the body that heals the fastest? Isn’t that a paradox? The part of the body that heals the fastest does damage that sometimes never heals.

The tongue is that amazing part of the body responsible for so many good things that pertain to life. Yet it is also one of the most destructive. How can that be?

It is like fire, which is good when it heats our food but destructive when it burns down the house.

There are so many analogies and metaphors that are used to describe the tongue. It is like a rudder that turns the ship. It is like a whip. It is like water that quenches thirst but floods home. That one little muscle that gets so much attention and granted … it should. 

The tongue has been used to start wars, break up marriages and other relationships, scar the heart for life, reduce one’s self esteem, divide families, races, cultures, and nations, etc. 

To be fair to the tongue, I will say that it has been also used to rally the troops, reverse all the above, heal wounds, encouraged hearts, give hope, create intimacy, and more. 

So it can be used for good and bad, life and death, right and wrong. It comes down to the choice I make. Solomon said it well: Those who control their tongue will have a long life … (Proverbs 13:3a NLT) 

How do you use your tongue? Do you use it for good or for evil? Below is my suggestion and I would love to hear yours.

My suggestion is T.H.I.N.K before you speak. Ask yourself the following set of questions.

1. T – is it True?
2. H – Is it Helpful?
3. I – is it Important / Inspiring?
4. N- is it Necessary?
5. K – is it Kind?

What is your thoughts on this matter? I would love to hear from you in the comment section below.

Here’s a speech that I did at one of our Toastmasters meeting.