Verse of the Day for August 13

A soft answer turneth away wrath. The verb is gentle. A soft answer does not crush anger or win the argument in one blow. It turns it, the way you turn a heavy cart, a little at a time.

That is why soft answers can feel useless. You speak kindly once and the other person is still angry. You do it again a week later and see little change. Grievous words get faster results. They stir up anger immediately, and it can feel like something is happening.

But turning is still moving. A relationship can be slowly rotated away from war by many small, mild replies.

The second verse adds a detail worth noticing: The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright. Knowing the right thing to say is not the same as using it rightly. The fool also has knowledge. He just pours it out, all at once, without care for timing or tone.

If you are in a long, slow situation, a teenager who is shut away, a colleague who resents you, a mother in law who will not warm, keep giving the soft answer. Count progress in degrees, not miles. You may look up in a year and find the cart is facing a different way.

Slow progress in love is still progress.

Use what you know rightly today, not just loudly.