Thinking about Proverbs 13:3:
The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Mark Twain put it this way:
"It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt."
That's sometimes my own MO. As an introvert, it's easier to stay quiet. Keeps me out of some trouble, too. Speaking up is more of a challenge for me than keeping my mouth shut. I sometimes regret what I've said and think about it far too long into the night. We introverts tend to be too introspective.
But relationships aren't nurtured very well without conversation. And so I must give attention to guarding what I say, to whom I say it, and about whom I say it.
And yet, being vulnerable enough to share my sorrows and struggles without the fear of being labeled in ways I don't intend or are not motivated by. Of letting someone into my heart to see the real me.
But also being open enough to examine my own heart issues about what I say, to whom I say it, and about whom I say it.
It's not easy being vulnerable.
Painting ~ Portrait of a Girl, Blanche Macarthur, 1870-1896
public domain, WikiGallery
public domain, WikiGallery
