Inspired by LGG’s study, The Fruit of the Spirit, w5d3
Roadmap for Our Journey: Proverbs 15:1-4; SOAP: verse 1
A gentle answer deflects anger,
Proverbs 15:1 NLT
but harsh words make tempers flare.
I don’t know about you, but I have had to learn this lesson more times than I can count throughout my life. I have also been the recipient of both kinds of words and can testify to the truth of the proverb ~ and the wisdom of its teaching. Can you?
Friends, whether we’re speaking to a child throwing a temper tantrum, a frustrating spouse, a friend, or a stranger, we would be wise to remember this valuable warning. Words have the power to build up or tear down. They can encourage or discourage, and they can cause irreparable hurt. They can calm a situation or add fuel to the fire. Words matter ~ but delivery (how they are spoken) is equally important and often the greater cause of harm. Consider this: you’re in a conversation with a friend; you aren’t seeing eye to eye; frustration is turning to anger, but the friend speaks calmly to the situation, and tempers cool; no harsh words are spoken. Twist the scenario to heated words, filled with accusations, and undoubtedly the outcome would have been different.
Words matter, but so does the attitude in which they’re said.
A gentle answer can alter not just conversations but emotions. On the contrary, harsh words will not only stir up anger; they will destroy relationships. We must choose our words carefully and use them wisely, caring more about others than saying whatever is on our mind. We must be sensitive to the Spirit and would be wise to daily pray the prayer of the Psalmist, who wrote: “Take control of what I say, O Lord; and guard my lips” (Ps 141:3).
So friends, I’ll leave you with the question that today’s journal entry poses: “What does this look like in your everyday life? I find their answer most helpful and pray you will too – and that all of us will take it to heart.
It looks like taking a breath before you respond to the text that made you mad. It looks like lowering your voice instead of raising it when a conversation starts to heat up. It looks like choosing to listen before you defend yourself.
None of those responses come naturally. Each one requires the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.
Gentleness doesn’t mean you don’t speak. It means you speak in a way that opens doors instead of slamming them shut. And that kind of gentleness, rooted in the Spirit, has the power to turn entire conversations around.1
The More We Know
If you would like to put this Proverb into action, check out this wonderful blog by Compassion International. The Meaning of Proverbs 15:1 & How to Live It
- LGG, The Fruit of the Spirit, digital journal, p153 ↩︎
