“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Colossians 4:5-6
It can be a challenge to be gracious towards those we don’t see eye to eye with. God’s Word instructs Christians to be wise toward those who are not believers. This is a call to be wise toward those we do not see eye to eye with. There are things they might not like about our lives and things we might not like about their lives. But Colossians tells us to always speak in a way that is gracious. We must aim for our conversations to be gracious and seasoned with salt. It’s hard to win someone over when our words are indigestible. When we spew out anger and condemnation towards those we disagree with, it is like we are setting a bland uncooked piece of meat before them. Who wants to eat that?
Isaac Newton once said, “Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” Is the tone of your speech wisely seasoned for making friends rather than enemies? Is it characterized by the gentleness, grace, and love of God? It can be a tightrope to walk when having conversations with those we don’t agree with. The Bible gives us the wisdom to endeavor to have such conversations with grace and tact. After all, how can we share well about Christ if the way in which we do it does not reflect Him at all?