Those who were brought up and live in the Yorkshire county of England are used to the idea that people speak their minds — and that they should! Yorkshire people are known for that. So are some other people who have never even seen Yorkshire!

Is Truth Always The Criterion?

But, while the value of speaking one’s mind is seen as reflecting a open and honest and forthright frame of mind, is it always the correct thing to do?

If we are not careful, it can reduces us to a participation in one of the worst forms of non-Christian behaviour.

On occasions, there is a warning spoken out within us. Some would put that down to the Holy Spirit for those who are open to him. Very often our speaking, spontaneous or not, is preceded by a sense that what we are going to say is wrong. This is not a matter of whether what we are going to say is the truth or not. That it may be true is often quite irrelevant, although we sometimes use a claim to truth as a justification for what we have said. Surely the criterion must always be the good and the benefit accruing to the other:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, NIV)

Certainly, if we have time and opportunity to think out and consider what it is we are going to say, we should certainly apply this principle. And it is not a difficult one to use. The difficulty often lies in our being prepared to apply it.

Sometimes we have a post-event sense that what we have said is wrong although, perhaps, we may have spoken genuinely enough at the time. We often realise afterwards something we did not see at the time. What we have said is said, but we can repair the damage instead of taking pleasure in the pain we have inflicted.

We can apologise — and that act may sometimes be very positive. Most people appreciate that an apology often costs something: not merely admitting to ourselves that we were wrong, but being prepared to acknowledge it publicly. Moreover, the experience of apologising is one which imprints itself on our mind and acts as a brake on what we might say on some other occasion — then we are growing in important ways through supremacy over our pride.