“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand…” - Philippians 4:5

"You cannot reason with an unreasonable person.” This simple proverb will spare you many headaches in life. Whether it is a two-year-old having a tantrum, a defiant teenager, or a social media troll, you will never be able to come to a reasonable understanding with an unreasonable person.

As believers, we should never be known as unreasonable. We should be able to share and exchange ideas, questions, thoughts, and differences of opinions without flying off the handle, jumping to conclusions, canceling relationships, or resorting to name-calling and unfair labeling of others. We should be thoughtful, poised, composed and able to respond graciously when provoked, opposed, or placed in stressful circumstances. Our ability to reason, to think calmly and reflectively, should be known to everyone. If you are a young person, your parents and older co-workers, fellow church members and friends should consider you a reasonable person. If you are older, your children and those younger than you should perceive you to be a person who is open to considering and thinking carefully through new perspectives. If you trend to one side of the political spectrum, you should be known as a person who is thoughtful and respectful to those on the other side. Both believing and non-believing people should respect your willingness to hear what others are saying and respond graciously.

Why? The Lord is at hand. Jesus is with us and for us and He will give us the composure and compassion we need to be reasonable to all people at all times, just like Him.