My wife and I (this isn’t a picture of my wife) have been married 59 years. We know each other well enough that several years ago we began speaking at home in acronyms. For example, DR means “don’t remember”. We use that one a lot because we are getting pretty old. DM means “doesn’t matter”. DK means “don’t know”. Another one is TMW which means “too many words”. Over the years we have been associated with a number of churches and as many pastors/preachers. Some of these find it necessary to use more words than necessary to make a point or preach a sermon. I have been doing economic research for many years and have found that the fewer words I use to report results (both oral and written) to a client the better. The clients certainly appreciate it. It is frustrating to listen to any speaker who uses five times as many words as necessary to cover the subject at hand. You know what I’m talking about. My mind starts to wander after a while. My wife says she starts to think about what to have for Sunday dinner and begins to mentally make out her shopping list.
Then I found Biblical justification (and reward) for fewer words. I just came across the Prov 17:28 card in my pack of memory cards. “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” NASB Isn’t that great. I’m much less wordy now although my wife would like me to talk a little more. But I told her when we first got married that I would eventually run out of something to say. That happened at about the 20 year mark so it’s been pretty quiet at home for a while.