Silent Protest or Humble Reply

You may have heard that silence is sometimes the best answer.  Someone says something to you that tics you off and you just want to punch them or tell them what you really think of them.  Some of us have the courage (if that's what you'd call it) to fight back. I've found that fighting back often encourages the other person and makes them feel more justified in their attack.  If you hit me and then I hit you, we're even right? No guilt.
So instead of smacking people with your words maybe you choose the safe zone of silence.

 If you say nothing then things won't get worse, right?  Silence will surely end all problems, after all you can't have an argument when just one person is talking.  Unfortunately with this choice is that everyone "feels" me anyway just as if I did say hurtful words.  They feel my attitude like green slime oozing out onto everything.

When we try the silent treatment they practically beg us to say something.  They want something out of us.  Silence is easy and we feel we can fight the battle passive aggressively

I constantly feel, though, that I should always choose the hard thing.  That in doing hard things I can become more and even more than what I am, like a diamond being cut and cut until it sparkles and is highly valuable.

In doing hard things and especially those things that chip away at my pride I can find humility and peace.  I feel that if I find humility and peace I can truly be free in this world and safe from harm.  In this case, what would the hard thing be?  Returning with a patient, respectful response.

Proverbs 15:1 is a good one!  "A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger."

I feel that answering an attack with a patient response is like giving a gift to someone who just knocked you down.  It's like pulling a stool out from under them.  They almost have no where to go.  It throws them off like a hound when it loses the scent of the hunt.  It suddenly lets them see themselves and it has the power to make them back off.  When we return good for evil the other person no longer feels justified to fight.

Like I said before, it is hard to do.  It is hard to not twist your face in anger and raise your voice and let them know just what jerks they are and why they should not be saying to you what they are saying.  It's hard to know what to say sometimes even if you are willing to turn things around.  I  sometimes have a hard time expressing what I want to express, I love the line repeated in Pride and Prejudice:  "Practice!"

So I hope I can learn to swallow my pride and be patient with people in my life.  I hope I can choose the harder choice and that is to speak kindly and help the situation rather than wallow in my loathing and punish those around me.  One is humility and the other is selfishness.