What if you could only speak for a total of ten minutes per day? You could speak briefly here and there or use it all at once, but ultimately your ability to speak stopped after 600 seconds. 

I had a dream that happened to me. In the dream I would want to say things, but I’d stop to consider the worth of using up the time to do so. Was God trying to tell me that I needed to be more mindful of the words I spoke? I wondered.

Proverbs 13:3, (MSG) says that:

“Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.”

Goodness gracious! After reading this scripture, I definitely think God meant to convey to me that I needed to consider my words more carefully.

Case in point, I had gotten irritated with my husband while he tried to help me with something. Instead of being appreciative, I got snippy. In my opinion his exhaustive explanation could have been simplified. So, I let him know it. The moment I did, I could tell by the look on his face my remark stung. 

It instantly made me wince and regret what I had said. My words were not careful, and my careless talk did ruin the moment, for sure, even though I apologized.

Speaking carefully, simply stated, means that we really do need to think before we speak. My dream, Scripture, and the look on my husband’s face made me incredibly mindful of this fact. 

I’ve heard it said, “When a person is told something unkind, it takes 10 positive things to mend it.” I tend to disagree with that statement.

Speaking of myself, for example, I’ve been told kind things, likely more than 10 times, and yet I still hold on to the rotten stuff people have said about me. 

Mean words hurt. 

Maybe I should start pretending I only have 10 minutes worth of voice each day before I open my mouth to say something.

All is well now with my husband and me. Honestly, that event was very short-lived. It did make me pause though, because all of our days are filled with little moments like that. 

So, in each and every one of them, we need to consider with great care what comes out of our mouths because “careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.”

Now let me go start my 10-minute timer…