I'm learning to be modest with words. You may be thinking what in the world is that supposed to mean. You've heard of wearing appropriate clothing and maintaining a professional and/or respectful image. While these things are important, I've found another area where I can apply modesty.

My mouth.

I'm a woman and evidently belonging to this gender pretty much automatically means I'll be a lover of words. I won't deny it. I love to talk.

And with talking comes responsibility. The more I delve into God's word, the more I understand how I need to choose my words wisely. I need not dole out advice when I have no business doing so. Whenever I'm tempted to undercut someone because of a jealous thought, I need to bite my tongue. Becoming modest with my words also means I'm to pay attention when someone else is talking...to learn to actively listen.

Modesty with words requires an assessment of how you currently communicate and disciplined decisions resulting from that assessment. Talking comes so easily to us and now that we're immersed in a technologically savvy culture, we need not only keep our mouths in check, but our fingers, as texting and typing have become the new mode of getting points across.

What are other examples of how you can demonstrate verbal modesty?

Turning critical comments into uplifting ones, allowing others to speak their minds first, validating others with affirming phrases and asking yourself if what you have to say falls in line with the following verse:

"Whatever is right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Think about such things...and talk about such things. Otherwise, exercise modesty of the mouth. You never know how much what you say will leave an impact. I've heard it takes something like ten compliments to even begin to cover over the damage from one sharp criticism.

Our words matter.

If we practice modesty with how we communicate, not only are we living in a way that honors God, but we also might be bearing fruit for the kingdom.

Wendy Miller’s work has been published in inspirational books, online magazines and on numerous websites. She is passionate about encouraging women through writing and speaking, and currently Wendy leads a small group of seniors from her church. Raising her three little girls, writing novels, creating craft projects, and hiking are other ways she enjoys spending her time. Feel free to visit her blog to peek inside the window of her thoughts as she actively pursues what it means to follow the Lord. Wendy's Website