Responding God's Way

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

How we respond to people is very important. Often times we tend to have an emotional response because as women, we are full of feeling. We are passionate, sensitive and prudent. This is especially true when we feel we are right about something. Being emotional is not necessarily a bad thing. The right emotions can drive us to pursue our passions and accomplish the desires and dreams we have. However, when we allow our emotions to dictate our actions then it becomes problematic. How we interact with the people in our lives is so relevant to God that He continually addresses the issue within the Bible.

In Proverbs chapter 15 the writer starts out by instructing us to speak to people with gentleness. In the heat of the moment that is not always easy. However, God's desire for us is to be God driven, not emotion driven. When someone says or does something that crushes us, it's in that moment that the true test of virtue takes place. Do we respond with ear shattering words that wound and destroy that individual? On the other hand, do we respond with love and kindness? Our emotions would dictate to fight fire with fire. Say what you feel, do what you want. How we react is a true test of what we really stand for and believe in.

Through it all we always need to remember that God is observing us. Each moment we live, we are given a chance to react with God-like character or temporal emotions. We as women have the power to bring healing or destruction with our tongues. How awesome would it be to move beyond what we feel and say and behave according to the way God desires us to? Ladies, let us remember that women of wisdom build their houses up, but foolish women tear their houses down.

And that's from the heart...