I came across this passage the other day when trying to respond to a very frustrating email. I then spent even more time trying to figure out what this passage means. It's very confusing. What I came up with was that we should be careful what we say. Pick your words carefully.4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.5 Answer a fool according to his folly,
Proverbs 26:4-5
or he will be wise in his own eyes.
I don't think this verse is saying, "Don't say anything because something bad will happen." Instead it talks about how to deal with people who are foolish. We might also call them idiots. How do you respond to comments that are so stupid, you don't know what to say? How do you respond to something so illogical that there is no right answer?
Address the issue at hand, but don't act the same way as the person you are arguing with. (Because let's face it, this passage is about how to argue with people.) Another way of saying this is, try to understand where your opponent is coming from. You don't have to agree - but it may help you make an argument that is better formulated and more effective than something that amounts to a personal attack.
God is Love. We try to follow that example. In all you do, put love first.
http://kairosverse.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment