Golden Apples

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."

Proverbs 25:11

Proverbs 25:11 is a profound proverb. It is one I often think about and one that is particularly appropriate for blogs. A word can be "fitly spoken" by being the right word said at the right time or by being appropriate and edifying.

The reason I often think about this proverb is that I so frequently fail in fulfilling it. I can't tell you how many times I've hung up the phone or walked away from a conversation and thought of the perfect thing I should have said. The path of my life is littered with missed opportunities to speak a fit word.

One of the reasons I post infrequently to this blog is that I feel a weight of responsbility for its content. It's far too easy to post worthless or negative garbage on a blog. But once it's posted, it can't be taken back; it flies around the globe on the wings of the world wide web.

The imagery of the web, of course, represents the interconnected network of information available on the Internet. But it is also an apt entrapment image. Just as a sticky spider web traps unwary insects, the profusion of harmful information available—literally at one’s keyboard-poised fingertips—on the world wide web can easily trap the undiscerning user.

Aside from the inexhaustible dangerous and harmful information, the web teems with worthless dross. Many blog authors share insights that are not as valuable as they believe. Some use appalling grammar. Some post negatively about other people. May God preserve me from all of the above!

What I think is so brilliant in my early morning hours may not stand up to the harsh light of day.

It reminds of a poem I wrote many years ago:

Nighttime Poetry

that sings
in the brain
looks so banal
on day lit paper.

© Glenda Mathes

I believe that writing on a blog carries with it an inherent responsibility. Sometimes it causes me to tremble.