If another person vents anger toward you, it might be tempting to vent anger right back. But if you’d like to be a healing influence and prevent a conflict from growing, you might consider a different approach.
Rather than letting pride and ego blow up and cause further suffering, stay humble, send a quick prayer to God for help, and listen for a reply that can defuse the tension and get the conversation headed in a positive direction. Respond with patience and understanding, rather than hate and anger.
Like putting out a fire, more fuel adds to the fire. A heavy douse of water puts out the fire.
Respond to anger with buckets of love!
From the book of Proverbs, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (15:1, RSV).
Don’t stir up anger. Listen for the soft answer that evaporates it.
I so needed this healing message today!!!
Thank you Evan
I had not thought of it before, yet the Gospels record only soft answers from Jesus.
The harshest I can come up with is the reply “oh ye of little faith” which was a statement of the other party’s lack of confidence, or unbelief in Truth.
Thank you, God.
“Respond to anger with buckets of Love!” .. Love that! A soft answer of
meekness and humbleness often disperses anger into it’s native nothingness,
replacing what could have escalated to more anger, with a comforting catalyst
for resolution.
And sometimes like in Science and Health’s definition where Mrs. Eddy defines
“Gethsemane. Patient woe; the human yielding to the divine; love meeting no
response, but still remaining love” … it may seem that anger has won, but
divine Love is always there.
Dear Carol, I love that you brought the definition of Gethsemane into the discussion. This has helped me many times, and is a good reminder now.
Laura
Thank you Evan for this precious advice. And thank you to all who have responded.
I love the thought of “responding with a bucket of Love” also Carol.
This has brought to my mind that years ago, long before C.S. found me, I worked
for a while with a person whose husband was obviously causing her difficulties.
I heard from another closer friend that when he was angry about something,
she didn’t respond at all – and this made him angrier still. So it is so important
that we do respond with a bucketful of Love and not just leave the anger
floating about in the air. It needs to be dissolved in that Love so that peace and
harmony are restored.
Thank you Maggie!
A lot of bucket of love…and at soon as possible
Before anger is transformed to a monster, on each side
Thank you Maggie!
A lot of bucket of love…and at soon as possible
Before anger is transformed to a monster, on each side
Returning good for evil is always a winner.
It’s our way of affirming that good is the only reality.
Thanks, Mr. Qualtrough.
Thanks Evan and all for your thoughts. It does take depending on our Father-Mother God to pause before we speak in such situations. I am getting better at doing this now than in the past. I so appreciate all the posts so far, and their thoughts and I am learning to pause before speaking when needed. It is less embarrassing to pause before speaking and silently ask God for the answer, than to respond quickly, than having to apologize because once spoken, an apology may not be the best answer once the retaliation spoken response was made and the apology not accepted. Put the fire out so one does not get burned. “A soft answer turneth away wrath.” Prov. 15;1
Years ago I attended a high school reunion. A former classmate told me this story: When we were both in the sixth grade, I was elected by my classmates to be captain of the school patrols. She said, “I was so angry because I thought I should have been elected. And I told you that I was the right person to be captain. You listened to me and then quietly said, ‘I voted for you.'” I had forgotten this incident, but it reminded me that even as a young girl, I was immediately turning to God for answers. A neighbor took us to the Christian Science Sunday School every Sunday for several years and I was learning to trust God with my life. What a blessing!
That is so sweet, katherine. Thank you for sharing that. I think competition, for some, is so
strong in sports, politics, etc, although now I guess it is more focused on “participation
trophies”, but anger in not “winning” can seem to be quite intense in the minds of some.
Children are often taught to compete, so what you wrote is so refreshing and humble,
where your moral character in loving others, really stood out. That definitely was the
soft answer and remembered by your friend as being outstanding. What a great example
of thinking of another.
Thank you for sharing that, katherine -a lovely example.
and sonatural.
Thank you very much, Evan to remind me how thankful I can be that today I’m mostly healed from reacting harshly. Sometimes I had to pray deeply to react with much love when a friend said something not so kind to me. Sometimes practitioners helped me, and today I know that wrong reaction can only be healed through christian scientific prayer, and listening to God for a peaceful answer!
I also love what Evan says here: “Respond to anger with buckets of love.” And “Don’t stir up anger. Listen for the soft answer that evaporates it.”
Dear Evan, thank you again for today’s healing SpiritView!♡
Thank you Evan for this reminder of how to respond to an angry person. I love your thought to stop and “send a quick prayer to God for help,”
Ginger
Yes, thanks Ginger, what you say is also what I did in difficult situations during a conversation, namley to “send a quick prayer to God for help.” And often I feel His loving help and a right answer.
CS is the greatest !
Very thankful to all and Evan sir for imbibing spiritual Truths and leading to live Truth.
Thank you!
Thank you!