Watch Your Lips

One of the first counsels I received from a mentor was to be discreet. I was more than happy to take this counsel and apply it but had no idea what it meant. So, heading over to my favorite dictionary, Webster’s 1828 version, I learned that discreet means: prudent; wise in avoiding errors or evil, and in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash.

Well, at the time of this counsel, none of these adjectives would be applied to me. But like the verse says, I needed to start being discreet so that I could maintain discretion. I did this by being slow to speak, seeking godly advice before making decisions, choosing what is right over what I want to do and looking for win-win solutions. Today, over a decade later, I am at the least still pursuing discretion and at times maintain it. How about you? Do you take the wise counsel of the writer of Proverbs and maintain discretion?