Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.
…
Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26: 4-5 (NIV)
1. Pray -that you have the wisdom to respond with grace to a biting question and the discretion to know when to not retort at all.
2. Know your stuff– really, it helps. And it’ll take a lot of the ‘uh..’ ‘umm..’ and ‘like’s out of your response. A knowledgeable, firm answer will often do the trick when an out-of-the-blue question comes up.
3. Don’t cast your pearls before swine -If someone asks a five cent question, refrain from giving them a ten dollar answer.