Beyond the BattlefieldNäide

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 typically make things worse. Our words are powerful. We can use them to build ourselves and others up, or use them to tear ourselves and others down in discouragement. It’s tempting to let words fly out freely without thought—especially when our emotions are high. But it’s not helpful. 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 can be the end goal. But reaching 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, it is still possible. God has modeled this for us. Every day, He shows us grace and mercy. He responds in gentleness many times when we’re emotional, and Scripture tells us He is slow to anger (Psalms 103:8-11). When we keep this in mind and move with the Holy Spirit, it helps us to become more like Christ when we speak to others.