Proverbs 29:11

A fool vents all his feelings,
But a wise man holds them back.

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Reflective Thinking

I’ll have to research how many verses in Proverbs specifically talk about our speaking. Once again, seemingly over and over and over, God is giving us wise counsel about controlling our communication. Using the comparison of what a fool does and then what a wise person does makes it very clear what to do and what not to do. We can take this as an additional lesson on communication.

Another thing that comes to mind on this verse is if we look at King David’s example in many of the Psalms that he wrote, he did vent and express his inward feelings… the important thing to note is who he was talking to in those situations… it was God. With that, we can say with confidence that God wants us to go to Him when we want to vent our feelings and frustrations and not to others.

Action Idea

Let’s use discipline and train our thinking to stop venting to other people, including just talking to ourselves, but instead have a good conversation with our Father. What’s great is He’s the best listener, comforter, friend, and advisor we could ever imagine or hope for.