Daily Devotional • Proverbs 15:1

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.  

- Proverbs 15:1

Whenever our emotions rise in anger, it can be difficult to respond in gentleness.

Many times we feel justified in our anger, yet responding in fiery anger in the midst of conflict will usually only make things worse.

Our words are also powerful. We can use them to build ourselves and others up, or use them to tear ourselves and others down in discouragement.

We shouldn’t let words fly out freely without thought, especially when our emotions are high. Our feelings will always come and go with the ebb and flow of things, yet words can’t be taken back once they’ve been said.

Whenever conflict arises, making peace should always be the end goal.

Attaining this solution involves gentleness. This means taking time to listen to others and taking their heart into consideration. To take a step back and breathe. Then, we can choose to respond with grace and gentleness instead of anger.

As hard as this can be, we can have assuredness it becomes easier the more we look to the Lord as our example. Every day He shows us grace and mercy. He responds in gentleness many times when we are emotional, and scripture tells us He is slow to anger (Psalms 103:8-11). When we keep this in mind and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, it helps us to become more like Christ when we speak to others.

How can you show gentleness and grace to others today?

With Love,
Sarah Sherstad