Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,  and discerning if they hold their tongues.  Proverbs 17:28 NIV

Sometimes quiet is hard to find in a home filled with thirteen humans.  No, that’s probably the understatement of the year.

At our nine-feet long dinner table, it can sometimes take a full five minutes to calm the entire crew into peace.  Just one giggle at something ridiculous, and there you go.  It’s over.

All of that said, finding and establishing peace and quiet is a worthwhile endeavor for us.  We’ve used basic correction, sending the errant one to their bed, temporarily withholding supper (not really!) and sometimes (maybe), bribes. But it’s so important to us that we keep working and training. (Daily . . .)

We want to imprint on our children’s hearts (and ours) that silence is golden. That truly, you look wise and are wise if you’re quiet, whether you’re actually very wise yet or not.  This brings up the point that we were given two ears and one mouth.  Purposefully.

Silence first means listening first, too.  It gives the Holy Spirit a foot in the door before we run straight over Him on our way to our next best idea or argument. It’s oh, so hard to do (see the book of James for a tutorial on the power of the tongue) but oh, so worth the pain.  And it probably includes the loss of appearing or feeling right all the time.  Ouch.

My dad just recently mentioned to me that a parent always “pays for their raisin’.” Yes, I agree.  But the “payin’ “ includes a pay-off if we grab the lessons we missed when we were young.

It’s never too late to play the “Quiet Game.”

Jennifer 🙂