What is your source of truth?

Wise sayings often fall on barren ground, but a kind word is never thrown away. (Arthur Helps)

Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating. The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips. Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. (Proverbs 18:6-8)

A fool's words often create the ripe environment for gossip and untruths. The fool focuses on the volume of his words, not the wisdom of them. He rushes toward the 'juicy tidbits' he can glean from anyone that he may use to make himself look important. Unfortunately, the fool doesn't 'fact check' his words before repeating them. He launches into the retelling and the 'reinventing' of those words all too quickly.

I am a strong proponent of 'fact checking' whatever is being put forward as truth. This culture is too quick to spread malicious gossip, things that aren't entirely true, but that put someone in a bad light as much as possible. I don't know when we got into the habit of running people down, criticizing anyone different than ourselves, or making up untruths just to be heard, but unfortunately, we have arrived at that point.

Words matter more than we might think. We don't always consider their impact before we speak them, do we? Yet God's advice to us is to engage the mind before we engage the mouth. Rumors are easily repeated, while truth is frequently held back. Why is that? Talk or opinion with no discernable source of truth might seem good at the moment, but it can backfire on the one who engages in it, so beware of repeating what you hear!

Stop for a moment to consider how many quarrels you have had over your years on this earth. Did they begin with words? Most of them likely did, and you were right there in the middle of it. The more we engage in unwise, untrue, or even half-true communication, the greater our chances of being engaged in quarrels, as well. We'd all benefit from doing some 'fact checking' of what we hear, read, or 'trust' as truth, wouldn't we? We might just all get along a lot better if we did. Just sayin!