“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).
The meaning of this proverb seems pretty obvious yet somehow we can often find ourselves on the wrong side of this Scripture verse. I call these emotional interactions “drama.” I have found it helpful to think of drama as a fire. Fires have a way of growing as long as there is something to feed them. You can choose to add wood to the fire, or perhaps even lighter fluid, and make it grow. Alternatively, you can deprive the fire of oxygen by pouring water or baking soda over it.
Drama is no different. Drama needs oxygen to grow. Sometimes the individual who is reacting has enough kindling stored up to keep the drama going for several days. You cannot do much about that. You can, however, attempt to remove the “oxygen” necessary for the drama to grow and spread. To do this, you must ask yourself, “Will what I am saying feed this fire, or will it help smother this fire?” Sometimes you can get someone fomenting drama to step back and look at things differently; other times you cannot. But for every drama you encounter you can choose to add to it or diminish it.
Go and put some fires out this week.
-by Pastor Shawn Martin