Firestorm

Proverbs 15:1 (The Message) may be the hardest verse to obey in the entire Bible. It says, "A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire."

I fail at this all the time. Someone says something nasty to me, and I blast right back at them. It's human nature. Someone stings you, so you sting back. Dog-eat-dog. An eye for an eye. A tongue for a tongue.

But Proverbs 15:1 tells us to do differently. It tells us to respond to anger with gentleness. This is hard to do. Very hard to do. Extremely hard to do! I resist doing it. But do it we must. When we respond to anger with more anger, it "kindles a temper-fire." And fire chars, burns, and kills, whether it's a person or a relationship. Many relationships end, or are never the same, because of a temper-fire started by a sharp tongue. Words can kill. I know. I've been on both sides of it.

The next time someone yells at you, hurts you, insults you, or in any other way cuts you down with damaging words, do your best to remember the advice of Proverbs 15:1, and try not to respond in like fashion. Speak softly, respond gently, and you may be able to douse the fire.