ONE “INSTRUCTIVE PROVERB A DAY”
TITLE: An Apt Word
Text: Read Proverbs 25:11
Date: 11 February 2012
Written by: Conrade Yap
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11, NIV)
A friend of mine tells me about his previous boss who is not just a workaholic, but wants others to be like him as well. If he works till 10pm every time, he expects others to do the same. If he work on Saturdays, he wants his subordinates to work on Saturdays. Workers tend to shy away from this boss as much as possible. One day, the boss approached my friend. He began his sinister approach.
“Hey! Tomorrow’s Saturday, and I’m coming to the office tomorrow. So . . . “
My friend stopped what he was doing. He turned around and looked at the boss. There was silence. Tensions were beginning to rise. After what seemed like a minute that took forever, my friend said:
“Oh! You’re coming to the office? Great. Can I borrow your canoe?”
His friends laughed out loud. Even the boss had to back down, for he did not want to appear stingy in front of the rest of his staff.
This may be a funny moment, but it shows us that every situation can be easily defused by an apt word. The proverb today tells us that words aptly spoken are likened to apples of gold.
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Thought: “An apt quotation is like a lamp which flings its light over the whole sentence.” (Letitia Landon)
Time to Reflection: The quantity of words may crowd around the ears. It is the quality of words that speak into the heart.
conrade
This “Instructive Proverb A Day” meditation is sent to you from Theology@Work, a ministry that helps apply theology in our daily lives, and seeks to inculcate, faith, hope and love in our heads, hearts and hands. If you find this meditation helpful, forward it to friends or encourage them to subscribe here. You can contact me (conrade) at yapdates@aim.com.
