Don’t fight fire with fire
Live by the sword, die by the sword
or, my personal favorite,
Don’t feed the monster
These idioms are all variations of one of the easiest Proverbs (for me) to say, but doing it, living it’s wisdom is so … unnatural.
A gentle answer turns away rage,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Why is it so hard to just be quiet? To speak gently?
Why is it so easy to respond quickly and harshly?
Our tongue, it’s sharp! Sharp like a sword!
Proverbs 12:18 reminds us, “there is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Man, when you look at the power we have through our words as either wounding or healing … I kinda shake in my boots, because I don’t want to wound … I just … forget to pause before speaking, or I retaliate when another’s words have hurt me, or … I just don’t take my words captive and so they allow me to implicate myself.
There is such responsibility in our words!
Matthew 12:36-37 tells us, ” … on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Though I have so not mastered this (ask my family, they will confirm the practise I still need to apply), I think it’s all about pausing before we speak. For, even when daggers are thrown our way, our responsibility is for how we respond, what we say … not what is said to us.
Respond gently … motto of the day (week, month … life).
itsawonderfilledlife 