"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
This afternoon I noticed my son had taken his snack from earlier, crushed it up into a bazillion pieces and scattered it all over the living room floor. Admittedly, my first reaction was to launch into the heated lecture. I mean, really...how many times DO I need to tell him not to do that? Well (miraculously), I paused and began to calmly explain why we don't do that; and started to help him pick up the pieces.
That went over much better than all of my yelling ever would have. No hurt feelings, nobody digging his heels in at my insistence to clean up the mess. It's a much easier (and more effective way) to get what I want.
That went over much better than all of my yelling ever would have. No hurt feelings, nobody digging his heels in at my insistence to clean up the mess. It's a much easier (and more effective way) to get what I want.
The Word of God is so clear on instructions for dealing with other people (it even applies to little people!) The Strong's Concordance describes "wrath" in the context of this Scripture as "poison". Wrath can poison the atmosphere of our homes. Certainly life with young children can be provoking, but when we answer softly, we are not only fending off the poison that can so easily infiltrate our environment, but also teaching our children a valuable lesson.
What Biblical lessons has motherhood taught you lately?
