Proverbs 11:12

It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.

How do you talk about others? It reveals much about your character and your heart. It is easy to sin with your mouth, as we have seen in Proverbs, and there are a plethora of ways to do so. To “belittle” someone means to make them seem unimportant. Something or someone that can easily be cast aside. Can you stop belittling those around you and hold your tongue from critical or negative comments about them? A wise man will sooner be moved to pity and prayer for his neighbor than to contempt or scorn of him.

Solomon warned here against backbiting or insulting your neighbor. Wise people—especially those who claim allegiance to Christ—do not proudly despise others in their hearts or with words. They will hold back detracting or sneering words that fools or wicked people are often quick to say. Wise people know that all men are more similar than they are different, so contempt from one about another is not justified and reeks of self-righteousness.

As we have learned, the more one speaks, the more one sins…and within that sin you will find belittling words directed at the neighbors in your life. Why do we feel the need to voice so many of the critical things that come into our minds? Yes, we need to consider the source of all of that, which is the heart (Lk. 6:45), but we also need to learn the value of silence. I often tell our four children, “Sometimes the most Christ-like thing you can do is…shut up.”

It’s not only is it foolish to belittle your neighbor; it’s unloving. A sensible person – a loving person – knows full well that their heart is the main problem, but they also know that their words add fuel to the fire…and as a result, they choose to keep quiet.