He that keeps his mouth keeps his life; but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction. (Proverbs 13:3)

Constance Cameron tells a lesson her mother taught her. One day, when she was about eight, she was playing beside an open window. Inside, Mrs. Brown was confiding a personal problem to Constance’s mother. After Mrs. Brown had gone, the mother realized that Constance had heard everything that had been said. She called her daughter into the house and said, “If Mrs. Brown had left her purse here today, would we give it away to anyone else?”

“Of course not,” the little girl replied. Her mother continued, “Mrs. Brown left something more precious than her pocketbook here today. She left a story that could make many people unhappy. That story is not ours to give to anyone. It is still hers, even though she left it here. So we shall not give it to anyone. Do you understand that?”

Constance understood. And from that day on, whenever a friend would share a confidence or even engage in careless gossip, she considered what they had said to be the personal property of the other person–and not hers to give anyone else.

The old saying bears great truth: “If you don’t have something positive to say about someone or something, don’t say anything.”

Holy God of Truth and Justice, give us a heart that respects the property of others, even the stories and secrets they might share with us!