Which way do I go? To fight or not to fight

Pro 26:4-5  Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

Which way do I go? How do I given an answer when I'm challenged or when I'm question? It isn't an easy question to answer and when you are standing at the proverbial fork, this passage might not seem to help much because sometimes the road to the left is good, and sometimes the same road is bad. Sometimes you need to answer and sometimes you don't. It would be much easier if we only had verse 4 or 5, we could be NASCAR drivers and always turn left. We get to the fork and the our directions say "it is necessary that you turn right - but sometimes you have to turn left."

What's the point then? You have to stop and think.* You have to consider the consequences of your words. You have to determine what kind of "fool" you are dealing with and where your answer will lead you and if your answer will help or hurt. You have to consider the wisdom in answering at all because once you answer, you have chosen your path. 

Just because you CAN win a fight doesn't mean that you should. Sometimes it is better to let someone wallow in their own foolishness. On the other hand, sometimes you can best glorify Jesus Christ by rebuking error. Often you can best show love to your neighbor by knocking the chair of conceit out from underneath him. 

This doesn't bode well for social media because internet fights are often like wildfires. They burn hot and they burn quick, but the damage lasts for a long time.

So, stop and think. Look down both paths. Pray and study God's Word and take the route that best glorifies Jesus Christ, even if that means you don't get to win. 

*Sometimes you don't have this luxury to spend hours in contemplation. Some situations require immediate decisions. Even so, we cannot be thoughtless in our response and must trust in God's grace and His good providence.