He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin (Proverbs 13:3).

What effect can words really have?  After all, they're completely abstract symbols!  I once heard an absolutely fascinating radio program about the significance of words (http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2010/08/09/words/) -- but I'm not going to get into all that, here in this space.  Suffice to say, there's an ongoing debate about how much someone's words can or should reflect on their personhood, their character, and their actions.  How integrally-linked are words and actions?  For example, in a conflict situation, one could easily claim, "Yes, OK -- so I mis-spoke -- but what did I actually do to hurt you?!?"  And truth be told:  it can be a tricky philosophical question...

But Proverbs 13:3 (and several other Proverbs too, actually) seem to suggest that the words themselves are dangerous -- not just the actions with which they might be associated.  That is:  the Proverbs directly state that someone can ruin his life (not to mention the lives of others) solely by failing to guard one's lips and speaking rashly, without any forethought.  Communication is much more than abstract symbolism; it's directly connected to our inmost being.

Jesus once said, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:33-37).  It can be intimidating to realize how integrally-linked our thoughts, words, and actions really are because I know a lot of the things that go through my mind and come out of my mouth -- even though I like to think that I've got the nasty parts of me mostly under control, particularly when it comes to my actions.  Yet I recognize the truth of the Proverbs and of Jesus' teaching about the overflow of our hearts.  As such, I want to train myself to guard my thoughts and guard my words -- so that I may guard my life.  As I train my lips, I train my heart; and as I train my heart, I train my whole being.  And this is a process which leads us away from chaos and ruin -- and towards health, wholeness, and life.