“Use a Mouth Guard and Save Yourself Some Trouble”
June 23, 2025
Every time I read a proverb that suggests guarding my mouth and tongue, I am reminded of my high school and university softball days. Since I was a catcher, I feared catching high velocity pitches or foul tips that could knock out my teeth or injure my jaw. The mouth guard offered protection, peace of mind, and a “retirement” from my softball days with my teeth and jaw intact. Now, as I remember those days, the mouth guard serves as a good object lesson for Proverbs 21:23 which reads,
“One who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.” (NASB)
This proverb is a gentle admonition to think before we speak. It encourages us to be mindful of our words and the impact they may have. Each of us can relate to a situation in which we let our guard down and said something that got us into trouble. We may have spoken careless words before thinking about what we were going to say, and we hurt someone, or even ourselves, as a result of our reckless words.
How easy it is to speak without thinking! Many times as a catcher, I instinctively reacted to a challenging play. Likewise, I have often responded impulsively in conversations which sometimes led to regrettable outcomes. I caused pain may have lasted a few hours, while other pain may have lasted decades. The mouth guard represents the pause I need to protect myself from the symbolic fouls of life—those verbal slips that can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, or even rifts in relationships.
The catcher’s mouth guard, while a simple piece of equipment, comes to symbolize critical life wisdom found in Proverbs 21:23. By choosing our words carefully, exercising restraint, and understanding the weight of our speech, we can protect not only ourselves but also those around us from unnecessary troubles.
One way to avoid these troubles is to seek God’s enabling to place a guard at our lips, as the psalmist did,
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalms 141:3)
Notice how the psalmist asked for the guard to be placed at his lips, and not at his ears or heart. He was more concerned with hurting others with his words, than being hurt by the words of others. My mouth guard during my softball days, protected me from the high velocity ball being thrown in my direction. However, better the guard at my lips that prevents any high velocity barb from being thrust at another. Let us seek to guard our lips and speak words of wisdom and truth that honor our Father in heaven, and by so doing, honor others.
Can you think of a time your mouth got you into trouble? Do you remember the emotional difficulty it caused?