WORDS OF PEACE

November 10 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

How many times in your life have you raised your voice or said something offensive in the heat of a stressful moment? It seems that when our emotions are high and we are not having a good day that the person we want to be, the person we know we ought to be, goes out the window. We can redo a lot of things in our lives, but we are not able to take back an idle word.  

This world is full of people who are out to live for themselves. In the workplace the goal is to climb the ladder as high as you can. Often people do not care who else falls off in the process. If you get in their way they get defensive and maybe attack others. This is the way of this godless world. And even though we might have been born into this culture, we are called to be different.  

Jesus said that we will be judged for every idle word that comes from our mouths (Matthew 12:36). This ought to bring some sobriety to the situation. We ought to try to get along with others for the sake of our personal testimony to the lost. We are told, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, being at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18). And, “Pursue peace with all men…” (Hebrews 12:14a).  

Experience shows that even when someone else is upset about something, we as a Christian can react in such a way that the situation is deescalated. When faced with challenging situations with non-believers, don’t feed off of their bad attitudes. Instead, respond with grace and peace. All for the glory of God.  

Matt Foreman