“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

(Proverbs 15:1 NIV)

After three and a half hours of standing in long lines, filling out forms, and dealing with cranky clerks at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), a man finally completed his task and decided to swing by a toy store to purchase a baseball bat for his son. He brought it to the register, and the clerk asked with a smile, “Cash or charge?”

“Cash,” he snapped.  Realizing how sharp his tone was, he quickly apologized and explained, “Sorry. I’ve just spent the entire afternoon at the DMV.”

Without missing a beat, the clerk grinned and asked, “Would you like the bat gift-wrapped — or are you going back there?”

That story serves as a reminder that when we’re tired, annoyed, or stressed out, we tend to carry that tension with us — and sometimes the next person we meet gets caught in the crossfire.  The truth is, we can’t always control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond.

Proverbs 15:1 reminds us, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (NIV) That little verse is packed with wisdom. Because the way we respond in tense moments can either defuse a situation or light the match that makes it worse.

Our lives are full of those “DMV days” — those moments when everything seems to go wrong, people are difficult, and we’re tempted to be short-tempered.  But God invites us to a better way.  He calls us to respond with gentleness and grace, not because people deserve it, but because that’s how God responds to us.

Jesus faced constant pressure, criticism, and confrontation. He was misunderstood, rejected, and insulted — and yet, time and again, he answered with compassion.  His gentleness wasn’t weakness — it was strength under control.  And that’s the same kind of strength he wants to shape in us.

So today, if the lines are long, the rules don’t make sense, and people are annoying, remember this: offer a gentle answer. You never know how that small moment of grace might change someone’s day — including yours.

Prayer: Father, thank you for being so patient and gentle with me. Help me to respond to others with that same grace, especially when I’m tired or frustrated. Teach me to be a calming presence in a chaotic world.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith