At work one afternoon, two of my co-workers became involved in a serious debate over a current political issue. Their voices rose louder, and their faces became flushed during the exchanges as one tried to outdo the other.
When one of the co-workers made a particularly cutting comment, the other one, temporarily stumped for an answer, pulled out the old defensive saw, “But two wrongs don’t make a right!” The other co-worker, who was conscious of where their conversation was headed, smiled and said, “No, but two Wrights made an airplane.” His quiet, witty response left the other man with no place to turn. Soon, all of us laughed, and the heated discussion slipped into the past.
That incident provided a perfect example of what Proverbs teaches. This co-worker had a suitcase full of clever retorts and sayings that he could recall at will. For those of us who aren’t that well-equipped or nearly as quick with the witty comebacks, maybe we should heed the advice of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. Our sixteenth President once said: “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.”
I expect each of us has responded with a foolish reply that we instantly regretted. God, however, can give us the ability to provide wise responses (Proverbs 15:1). Trust God for the right words.
Ben Goheen is a former secondary-school teacher and human resources manager in the chemical industry. He is a graduate of Murray State University and currently resides in Western Kentucky, near the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. Ben has written four novels set in the Old West and published under the name Ben Tyler. He took pleasure in writing his non-fiction book, With Shirttails Flying, a true and exciting Hoosiers-like story about the Kentucky high school state championship basketball team of which he was a member. When not writing, Ben spends much of his time whacking a golf ball around the picturesque courses of Western Kentucky and spending time with his family.