Proverbs 15:1; A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 25:15; By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
In my younger years, I was always cautious as to what and how I responded to people. I didn’t want to offend; and more often than not, shied away from any type of confrontation. I’m not entirely saying this was good or bad, but in reality, I’m not sure it was healthy. I believe I was turned more inward, to the point where even conversation couldn’t be productive due to my fears of how people would respond or react.
As I grew older, I remember coming to a point where I thought “If other people don’t have a problem being blunt, why should I?”. I don’t believe I was ever really overboard with being blunt, but I did let the aspect of a gentle spirit to become more lax and wasn’t afraid of voicing my opinion (when the situation presented itself). A few foot in mouth incidents later, I came to the realization of the absolute need for balance in this area.
God isn’t asking us to be quiet, but to be gentle in our interactions. The dictionary defines gentle as: kindly; amiable: a gentle manner, not severe, rough, or violent; mild. Approaching people and conversations with this spirit or mindset will, as proverbs says, turns away wrath and is strong enough to break bones, or the way I see it, break down walls that we build up.
That’s definitely a strong area of benefit for a gentle spirit, but what did Jesus promise?
Matthew 5:5; “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” Sounds like it’s worth it to me!