Take for example this counsel, given to Hyrum Smith by Father in Heaven, from Doctrine and Covenants Section 10:
"Keep my commandments; hold your peace; appeal unto my Spirit;"
I'll concentrate on the "hold your peace" portion, as it's one that's risen to the surface of my life this week.
It's an odd phrase. One we hear commonly in the secular wedding vow: "Speak now or forever hold your peace." Brides magazine says this vow is "fortunately" falling out of fashion at weddings. Not surprising, considering it's falling out of fashion in general.
We need to pick it up again.
What does it mean? Does it mean "shut up"? I don't think so. We can be inspired by the Spirit to say wonderful things that can positively impact those around us. Holding our peace, I believe -- and I have evidence for this -- means knowing when to speak, and when not to speak, and in relying on the Spirit to give us what we should say in the moment we need it, rather than just blasting out with the first thing that comes into our heads.
My evidence comes from Job:
Job held his peace. Though he suffered mightily and could have lashed out at God, at any of his many critics, he held his peace. "In all this did not Job sin with his lips."
Holding our peace, relying on our learning and on the Spirit of God to help us to know what to say and when to say it, will help us avoid sin with our lips. Holding our peace implies listening to understand others as they talk to us, not listening until we know what we're going to say.
And that's hard. Damned hard.
Holding our peace doesn't imply not fighting injustice, or shutting up, or having to tolerate abuse. It does mean waiting with a cooler mind for inspiration. And that means filling our heads with the word of God and being worthy of the Spirit to be ready for when inspiration comes.
Maybe Kenny Rogers said it better:
Or, if that's too secular for you, listening to "I Need thee Every Hour":
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