Loose lips sink ships.
Loose lips might sink ships, a phrase that originated during World War II, is an American English idiom meaning “beware of unguarded talk.” The phrase was created by the War Advertising Council and was used on propaganda posters by the United States Office of War Information.
It would be wise to apply this warning to spiritual warfare and realize whose ship we may sink when our lips are loose.
When talk goes on too long, we’re always at risk of sinning with our words, as the book of Proverbs (10:19) reveals:
Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but those who restrain their lips do well.
A translation I used for many years rendered the first half of this verse “where words are many, sin is inevitable.”
Inevitable. But those who restrain their lips do well.
But there is a bright side. When we use the words we’ve spoken to examine our conscience, they reveal the judgment and unforgiveness or even people-pleasing and cowardice still lurking in our hearts.
God can heal those sins when we confess them, and we’ll never do that if we can’t even name the problem. Going over the day’s conversations for signs of loose lips is a step toward self awareness and contrition.
This post is part of a 
series (see A Lenten Invitation from a Babbling Brook: Focus on Speech and Silence). To receive new installments, Follow Sparrowfare. Please share the posts that speak to you.
In this contentious time, let’s spread the word about the importance of our words.
Photo by WEB AGENCY on Unsplash. American World War II poster by Seymour R. Goff via Wikipedia.
