Walk of Life – Day 15 – October 2021 – Thoughts from the Book of Proverbs – OPT TO
Opt to Give a Soft Answer
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1
Adding fuel to the fire…some of us seem to be very good at it. It would seem that the fight would end and everything would calm down peacefully and suddenly from nowhere someone would come and trigger the fight again and the scene would become worse than before. We have all been there at some point of time, at home, at church, at work…it happens all the time.
What if we all learnt to calm the storm, to be peacemakers, to let go, to be calm, quiet and gentle, to be patient and longsuffering, to softly and quietly try to appease the situation and make peace? I am sure this earth would be a little heaven to live in. In the above situation, we have also seen those random persons who would come from nowhere and cool the fight. It may be some soft advice or even a sense of humor, a word of apology and everything would seem fine again.
It is very important in life to learn that we should never speak while angry. Let the anger cool down, and then say what you want to say. It is always good to respect the other person’s opinion and move on. There is no point in arguing pointlessly if you know you will never succeed in convincing. Ego is not what the Lord wants from us…he seeks humility and meekness. A soft and a wise answer solves many a problems and if things are too much to handle just walk away from the spot rather than show your anger, speak harsh words and then feel bad about it. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. You cannot control how people treat you, but you can surely control your response and if you are led and governed by the Word of God, people will see in your life, love, compassion, and kindness and not harshness and rudeness.
It is definitely not just what you say that matters, it is also how you say it. Someone may have said very appreciative words but you know if it is said sarcastically and that really hurts. Solomon recognized the power of our words and spoke in great detail about how we should conduct our selves in this manner. We must stay closely connected to our God and remember that we are his representatives in this world and that what and how we speak to others affects our credibility and witness !
