Recently, I started buddying reading Christian living books with a fellow Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club member so we could encourage each other to have regular reading time devoted to God. Our first book was Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All by Karen Ehman.

I really enjoyed Keep It Shut as Ehman gave it an authentic, humble voice, practical application and knowledge rooted in scripture. The book flowed smoothly, and every bit of advice and accompanying scripture applies to everyday life. I found myself considering my interactions and how I could adjust the words that left my mouth and the ones that floated in my mind in response to people or situations. Ehman made it a reminder to everyone and even humbly shared her own flaws and experiences. She struggled with this concept herself, and that made her a prime candidate to share what she had learned (and still needed to learn). Her examples resembled ones anyone might have; even though I didn’t have children trying out for sports, I could understand how the other gossipy or pushy parents could trigger frustration. As Ehman described, everyone’s days fill with opportunities to use words.

This book applies to everyone, and I recommend it for everyone. It has a message I will continue to reflect upon. I wrote down her prayer to say daily requesting God to guide out words on a notecard to use as a bookmark while reading this book and continued to use it in the subsequent books we read. We would all do well to reflect upon our words to make sure we use them wisely.