Choose them wisely

Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling. (Proverbs 20:3 NLT)

There might just be a few more fools in this world than there are wise at the moment. It seems everyone wants to quarrel about anything they don't like or agree with, doesn't it? The wise will do anything short of sin to avoid he quarrel, though. Why? It brings out things that never should be voiced, and it creates a set of circumstances that allow a 'build up' of things that should never be done.

The fool speaks his mind without thought as to how the message will be received. He isn't concerned about the ones hearing it - he just insists on voicing it. The wise think first about who will hear their message and how it will affect those who do hear it. Perhaps the question we need to be asking is how we can avoid a quarrel when all around us there seem to be quarrelers.

Choosing our words wisely is the beginning of wisdom in relating one to another. When we match this with choosing actions that bring no harm to another, we might just find ourselves being more of a 'peacemaker' than a 'peace taker'. The right timing to a message is important, but we also have to remember to choose love 100% of the time. Any message delivered without love is never going to be well received.

How do we incite a quarrel? We might use words that are spoken regardless of their impact. We could speak without regard to the timing/circumstances around us. We might even speak without consideration, kindness, or blessing, thus making others feel undervalued and unappreciated. We are all subject to weak moments when we say things in a way that could bring an offense to another, and we didn't even know we did it. Then what?

We seek their forgiveness by confessing our wrong actions and then work to remedy it quickly. When words are spoken in haste, we might just find ourselves needing to seek another's forgiveness for how we came across, the words we used, and the emotions behind those words. We don't want to allow a quarrel to build. We live in a world where words can incite or heal. We choose which outcome our words will have BEFORE we speak. BUT...we don't control how they one hearing them will choose to 'take them in'. If we ever sense we bring an offense with our words, we must be the first to confess them and give way to those that will heal. Just sayin!