A Little Birdie Told Me
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
04/26/2021
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter. (Ecclesiastes 10:20)
Moms know everything. At least mine did. When I was a kid, my mom always had a way of finding out what was going on in my life, sometimes even before I did. If I got in trouble at school, she knew about it before I got home. If I had a fight with my little sister, she knew about it even before my sister had a chance to tattle on me. If I could not find my shoes, she knew their precise location even though she had not seen me take them off.
I could come home from school, climb into the attic, take off my sneakers, and hide them behind an old box of Christmas decorations, and my mom would miraculously be able to find them. A day later I would ask my mom, “Have you seen my shoes? I cannot find them anywhere.” Without looking up from what she was doing she would reply, “Have you checked the attic. I think they are behind the Christmas decorations.”
I am convinced my mom had spies and undercover operatives strategically placed in certain spots throughout the house, school, and neighborhood. It seems I could never hide anything from my mom. When she confronted me with knowledge of some wrong I had committed, I would ask her, “How did you know that?” Her standard answer was, “A little birdie told me.” Sometimes I would get so mad at those little birdies. If I only could have found them I would have shot every one of them out of the sky.
As an adult, I have come to realize those little birdies did not really exist. Neither did the spies. My mom was quoting an ancient Hebrew proverb. Solomon reminds us that we should be careful what we say because “a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter” (Ecclesiastes 10:20). In other words, you never know who may be listening. My mom had excellent hearing. She was attentive and discerning to what was going on in my life.
Words have a way of carrying much farther than you intend when you first say them. That is what makes them so powerful. Our goal should always be to speak edifying and encouraging words. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Jesus warned, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
The next time you are tempted to say something mean or critical resist the urge. You may think that since the person is not around, there is no harm done. But watch out! Those little birdies are always waiting to carry that juicy gossip to places you would rather it not go.
04/26/2021
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; for a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter. (Ecclesiastes 10:20)
Moms know everything. At least mine did. When I was a kid, my mom always had a way of finding out what was going on in my life, sometimes even before I did. If I got in trouble at school, she knew about it before I got home. If I had a fight with my little sister, she knew about it even before my sister had a chance to tattle on me. If I could not find my shoes, she knew their precise location even though she had not seen me take them off.
I could come home from school, climb into the attic, take off my sneakers, and hide them behind an old box of Christmas decorations, and my mom would miraculously be able to find them. A day later I would ask my mom, “Have you seen my shoes? I cannot find them anywhere.” Without looking up from what she was doing she would reply, “Have you checked the attic. I think they are behind the Christmas decorations.”
I am convinced my mom had spies and undercover operatives strategically placed in certain spots throughout the house, school, and neighborhood. It seems I could never hide anything from my mom. When she confronted me with knowledge of some wrong I had committed, I would ask her, “How did you know that?” Her standard answer was, “A little birdie told me.” Sometimes I would get so mad at those little birdies. If I only could have found them I would have shot every one of them out of the sky.
As an adult, I have come to realize those little birdies did not really exist. Neither did the spies. My mom was quoting an ancient Hebrew proverb. Solomon reminds us that we should be careful what we say because “a bird of the air may carry your voice, and a bird in flight may tell the matter” (Ecclesiastes 10:20). In other words, you never know who may be listening. My mom had excellent hearing. She was attentive and discerning to what was going on in my life.
Words have a way of carrying much farther than you intend when you first say them. That is what makes them so powerful. Our goal should always be to speak edifying and encouraging words. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). Jesus warned, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36).
The next time you are tempted to say something mean or critical resist the urge. You may think that since the person is not around, there is no harm done. But watch out! Those little birdies are always waiting to carry that juicy gossip to places you would rather it not go.
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