Can You Zip It?

Is keeping something secret really that difficult? Is keeping something to yourself wrong? I think it's no secret that most of us don't believe in secrecy. Anonymity is not our thing. We want people to know how smart, successful, and generous we are. We seem to come up with subtle, socially acceptable ways to promote ourselves and our image. If we give money we seem to want to tell others or give to causes where our name gets out. We tell where we serve or volunteer. We name drop about people we know. Does every good deed need to be shared with the world? Does every juicy secret we hear have to be shared in our next conversation? Didn't Jesus model this for us? I found several times where Jesus told others to keep their mouths shut about things he did.(Thanks to an exhaustive concordance) Like the leper in Mark 1; Peter, James and John in Mark 9;and the parents of the dead girl Jesus brought back to life in Luke 8. Other verses that come to mind about keeping our mouths shut about what we do are Matthew 6:1-6. We can do special and secret things for God alone and he will delight in them more because we did them with a pure heart and not for recognition or reward. Jesus gave generously and graciously not looking for a return. He did it for one reason and for one purpose; to honor his Father. Secrecy acknowledges that not all good deeds need public recognition and not all information is public information. Some things just don't need to be shared. We all have choices about what we say and don't say. Sometimes keeping our mouths shut brings honor to God and to each other. It's a great way to prevent further gossip, slander and rumors. (I think there is a verse about that somewhere too but I'm too lazy to look it up now) When we keep our mouths shut we create trust. We create a safe place for people to be who they are without fear. We also learn how to give, serve and love others without recognition, which ultimately brings glory to our heavenly Father. So, can you zip it?