How do you respond?

"A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, but harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger"               Proverbs 15:1    Amplified study bible

Well thought out responses to unkind confrontations help to defuse certain situations. A soft, gentle and thoughtful answer stands a better chance of blocking wrath than jumping in like a bull in a china shop. Harsh, painful and careless words promote anger. David Jeremiah says, 'Mean spirited words are the slowest and most venomous of toxins that ultimately brings down two lives. And nearly always, one's tone of voice makes the difference.'

However, a wise tongue speaks knowledge which can be pleasing and acceptable. Often it is not what we say but how we say it that prompts either a response of anger or acceptance. Words can offer life-giving or death-providing results.

Wise speech is both restrained and edifying. Ephesians 4:29 says 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.' In a confrontational situation it takes self-control; to respond gently; but in doing so, it is constructive because it helps to turns away an angry, volatile situation.

When we become pressured and burdened with things the last thing that we need is someone coming along and saying something negative to us. They may be in the right but their timing may be wrong. Responding in a volatile way to them - snapping their heads off, is not the best course of action. It may cause an argument or it may leave the recipient of your outburst feeling upset. Who was in the wrong? Both of you, possibly. Perhaps the person that came and spoke to you could have chosen a better time and if they retaliated to your outburst in a defensive manner, they should have controlled this and walked away choosing a different day. However, should you have made the outburst? Probably you feel that you should have; but if you play the video back in your mind of what happened, you may identify that you had allowed yourself to get under pressure, when perhaps you could have arranged your tasks better. 

It is a learning curve for all of us; one in which we have to be certain that we are in control of what comes out of our mouths. Now this is something to think about! 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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