Walk Of Life – Day 15, August 2021 – Thoughts From The Book Of Proverbs – Right Attitude

The Right Attitude To Answer

A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. – Proverbs 15:1

What is the right attitude to respond to an angry person who says something cruel, false or demanding? Proverbs 15:1 helps us in those awkward moments at home, at work, in our churches.

The key is “a soft answer.”

In that instant of decision, as your mind is forming a response, “a soft answer” is the category you need. What is that?

The word “soft” means tender, delicate, gentle, even weak. We don’t like being weak, especially when we find ourselves in the cross-hairs of anger. We would rather justify ourselves. It is hard to be wronged. It is doubly hard to be wronged and not fight back but respond softly.

With the wisdom of Proverbs 15:1, the tension in the air might not escalate. The awkward moment might even be turned into something positive. But dishing out anger in response to anger will surely go badly. Here is what we can always expect: “. . .a harsh word stirs up [more] anger.” A harsh – literally, “painful” – response can include words with sharp edges, a tone of sarcasm, implied threats of retaliation. There are many ways for the encounter to escalate quickly.

The Bible gives us many encouragements to restrain ourselves when people are unkind. For example, “You shall reason frankly with your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:17). “Let your reasonableness be known to all” (Philippians 4:4). “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).

Most wonderfully, we have in our Savior the perfect example of wisdom: “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; (1 Peter 2:23).

That helps, doesn’t it? It helps to remember that God sees, and God judges justly. Sometimes people judge unjustly. They don’t mean to. They just do. But God always judges justly. So, we don’t have to get in the last word. On that great and final day, God will finish every conversation in this life that didn’t go well. He will do so with perfect justice, fully satisfying to every redeemed heart. Let’s trust him for that now, whenever we are under this kind of pressure.

The right Attitude to answer when the conversations are not pleasing or comfortable to us is to answer softly and may our Lord help us to do so at all places and at all times.