DAILY WORD 9/2/21
18. A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.
Proverbs 15:18
Today’s Passage takes a decided turn from the tenor of the previous Verses but still offers a level of Wisdom that could only come from an individual Blessed by God with His Understanding.
Here’s how the Verse reads in the KJV, “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.” Now, this DAILY WORD post is typically a commentary on the Passages I read, but what can I really say that will add to this in any pertinent way? It seems to me that all that needs to be said in this Verse has been. Let’s find out if I can add anything useful.
Here we go! When you are angry, it is unwise to react to a trigger. Why? Because your typical response will come from a place of a lack of clear thinking. All you will be doing is seeking to strike back against the individual and give as good as you got. That is not a Godly response.
When you are triggered or angry over a slight, it pays to take a moment or two to assess your initial desired response and decide whether it is appropriate. Ask yourself, will what you want to say help the situation or, as the Passage states, will only stir up strife?
If the answer is the latter, it may be better to change the response or even remain silent. That may cause the “opponent to believe that they “won” the exchange, and they may taunt you, but you’ll know what really happened.
You just defused an explosive situation, and even if it felt like a loss, you’re the winner in the end. Here’s why. It’s because your angry response would only have been throwing gasoline on a burgeoning flame.
We all know what happens when you add an accelerant to a fire. It grows. That is what an angry answer does. The result is nothing if not unpredictable, and in a fight, the last thing we want is unpredictability. In a confrontation, you want to know you’ll walk away, and the only way to be sure that you’ll walk away may be to walk away.
The latter portion of the Verse gives us the proper response to this situation. Take a moment, think about your answer, and kill the fire on the spot. In other words, a slow reply turns away wrath. Bottom line: think before you speak. It may be the difference between a knockdown, drag-out fight, and a peaceful encounter.
This is just a thought for the next time you are confronted online or in person. The question becomes; what would Jesus do? Would He attack the individual, or would He just let it go and walk away? Wisdom means that you make the right choices regardless of how it makes you feel in the moment. Maturity means you’re okay with that decision.
Have a Thought-Provoking Thursday and Remember Being Slow To Anger Cools A Hot Head!
#dailyword
