Proverbs 30:32

If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!

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So yesterday, I had an interview for a hospital chaplaincy position. And…whew. Let’s just say I didn’t crush it.

When my son asked how it went, I said,

“I think I did decent…but they said I came off a little too upbeat. Too surface…what was the word? Too GLOSSY.”

They asked me—more than once— to share how my pain has shaped me. And instead of going there… I just kept telling them all my “happily ever after stories!”

I didn’t even notice it during the interview— And I think it’s because that’s how I’ve learned to survive. I preach my pain until it converts. I talk redemption before I let myself sit in the ruin.See, “I grew up learning to keep moving and stay optimistic — that’s been both my gift and my blind spot.

Because in that interview, they weren’t looking for a sermon— They were looking for a witness. Someone who could just sit in the dark and not flip on the light too fast.That’s a skill that Chaplains must have.

And as I replayed it later that day, I had to laugh… and wince. Because I realized: I was the one who played the fool—trying to prove I was whole, instead of being honest about the parts of me still healing.

So Proverbs 30:32 hits different for me:

“If you play the fool… clap your hand over your mouth.” Yeah. That was me.

🧠 Observe The Reflex to Perform

See, this verse isn’t shaming us for being human. It’s inviting us to notice the reflex — That split-second between trying to perform… and just being real.

Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is stop mid-sentence and clap your hand over your mouth — not to silence yourself, but to still the reflex that says,

“Make it good. Make it noble. Make it make sense.”

Because not everything broken needs a bow. Some things just need space to breath. And I’m learning — when I feel that reflex to perform, or impress — to take a breath, and physically do something to interrupt the old wiring.

Proverbs says: ✋🏽 hand over mouth. 🫱🏽 I do this one: tapping my fingers. It’s just a quick, physical cue that says,

“Hold on, Fred… don’t fill in this moment. Just FEEL, in this moment.”

It’s how I short-circuit a lifetime of turning vulnerability into performance. For me that’s clap control.

💥 My Point

There’s nothing wrong with positivity.

But polish without presence misses the point.

Maybe wisdom isn’t having the answer—

but letting silence do the teaching.

Prayer

Lord, quiet my reflex to perform—help me stay present.

Today’s Challenge

Before you explain yourself today, pause. Hand over mouth. Tap your fingers. Feel the space between reaction and reflection.

You don’t always have to make it rhyme or right. Just real. Because sometimes the most honest prayer… is the sound of your silence.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Be Wise and Be Well...peace.

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