“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” That passage from the Proverbs pictures an elaborate piece of jewelry – a sculpted piece of fruit, made from gold, inside an intricate setting of silver. How many thousands of dollars would that be worth? But better than that is to have the right word at the right time. That’s what fitly means here – the right word at the right time.

Words get us in trouble from the moment we start to speak. Angry words, defiant words, crude words, lies when we should tell the truth, the truth when we should keep silent, silence when we should confess….