Just Between Us

20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry the message, and a winged creature may report the matter. Ecclesiastes 10:20

Have you ever felt relief knowing it is just you and someone you trust? You can be yourself. The person across from you understands. You can say what has been weighing on you. Sometimes you need that kind of conversation.

But something can shift in private. What starts as a real concern can turn into sarcasm. The story grows more dramatic. You feel safe and it becomes easier to say more.

The Teacher warns against contemptuous words about the powerful, even when we believe nobody else can hear us. He gives us this odd picture: a bird that picks up our words and carries them somewhere we never meant.

I get to choose my words, but not where they end up.

I have to ask myself: what have I let slip out because I thought nobody else would hear it?

Father, help me notice when honesty turns into carelessness. Teach me to speak with wisdom, even when I think no one else is listening.