VIETNAM: VN Proverbs dealing with " WORDS" in human interactions

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus: proclaim the word". (2 Timothy 4:1a, 2a)

In the Christian tradition, the Word of God was communicated to us through the Scripture which contains life; it guides us how to live and what to do to conduct ourselves according to God's rules. God did not give us His Words because He wanted to become famous, He gave us information about His plans for us because He loves us. Believing or not believing the Word of God makes a difference in our lives. God is there to lead us through our life's challenges, for example in Exodus 19, or John 14.

He teaches us about relationships between husbands and wives or between parents and children in Ephesians 5.

In Vietnam, from generation to generation, the wisdom from the forefathers was passed on through the oral traditions.

Vietnamese proverbs are often used by parents to teach and guide their children. The rules of conduct, pertaining to how Vietnamese should talk and how they should interact with one another, are numerous and interesting.

When we say to our children "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me", we realize the hurtfulness of verbal insults and we want to help them realize how they can reframe their perception. "Words are only words " we say to our children to console them.

Let us now hear what Vietnamese parents teach their children: "Lo+`i no'i cha(?ng ma^'t tie^`n mua. Lu+.a lo+`i ma` no'i cho vu+`a lon`g nhau" (Words are free, you don't need to spend any money to buy them. Choose your words carefully so you can keep other people happy). or " Mo^.t ca^u nhi.n , chi'n ca^u la`nh" (Refrain yourself from one hurtful response, you would save yourself the trouble of making nine more to remedy the situation).

When we advise our children to " not just talk the talk but walk the walk as well" the Vietnamese parents go one step further, advising their children: