President Obama, Hot Mics, and Little Birdies

I am sure most of you have heard about this story, but earlier this week President Obama was caught making a statement to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about wanting to wait until after he gets re-elected in November to talk about missile defense negotiations. He did so, he thought, off mic. But much to his chagrin, the mic was "hot" and everyone heard. If you have not seen or read about it, just Google it and you will not find yourself lacking for information, sources of news, and lots and lots of opinions and prognostications. 

While there is a lot that could be discussed from his slip up (making the assumption that he will be automatically re-elected, the fact that he has a policy on this subject but wants to hide it from the voters, etc.), this reminded me of Ecclesiastes 10:20, "Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter." When I read this verse from King Solomon, I automatically think of the phrase, "A little birdie told me." Many people actually attribute the phrase's origin to this verse. 

How often do those things we say and do in private eventually make their way public? This  is especially true when it comes to social media, email, and text messages. As Christians, we must always be aware of our thoughts and words. If we have something to say that we don't want public, then we probably shouldn't say it, post it, or send it. Remember, our words have wings and we cannot always control where they fly off to.