Here’s a wonderful paragraph written by Mark Melendez, an elementary principal in Sugarland, Texas. Mark’s comments apply to all of us. I hope you are encouraged to practice gentleness.
“Let your gentleness be known to all.” – Philippines 4:5
“A gentle tongue turns away wrath.” – Proverbs 15:1
I guess my position as building principal gives me many opportunities to stir up wrath or add fuel to it. It hasn’t taken me long to realize that wrath never ends well. I think our selfish nature figures that it is something we deserve. When someone else does us wrong it’s our duty to make them pay. We often attack either face to face with boisterous well placed, cutting words, or we choose to inflict pain through the long drawn out process of gossip, fault-finding, and devious plots. The result is harmful to all involved. This mindset robs our joy and destroys relationships to all involved, and often to innocent bystanders.
Now, trust me, I have been in many situations, I suppose, almost daily, where I have had the “right” to invoke or fuel wrath. I have learned to ignore the digs and the stings and listen for the cause behind the words. I have learned to respect the feelings of others (even when they are unfounded or when I strongly disagree) and to answer with gentleness. Now, sometimes there is a long pause between the biting words and my response. Answering wrath with wrath only causes mistrust, burned bridges, and often words and perceptions that can’t be taken back. So, remember, “A gentle answer turns away wrath,” Proverbs 15:1.
