Spirit of Timidity

I have very narrowly escaped a most unpleasant conversation. There is a situation involving one person's inappropriate behavior towards another, and I am technically the one directly responsible for maintaining appropriate behavior in this particular setting. The offending person is very bold, very abrasive. She speaks in a confrontational, accusing, and frankly very rude manner. (This is, in fact, the root of her offense.) I, on the other hand, am quite timid and passive. I go out of my way to avoid confrontation. I was very much dreading even the possibility of having to approach this person. Luckily for me, I ended up not having to do it. I turned to the counsel of a wiser person than I, and she in turn sought out the counsel of a still wiser person, and we all agreed on a different course of action. Nevertheless, the incident has made me think about my fear of confrontation.

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that we were not given a spirit of timidity, but "of power, and love, and of a sound mind". God did not give me a spirit of timidity...and yet I am timid. It didn't come from God. It had to come from somewhere. My sinful nature...or, thinking in stronger terms, from Satan himself. When I think of it that way, well, I just don't like it one bit. What's more, if this timidity is a bad thing (and, having not come from God, I would say that it most certainly is), then my extreme avoidance of confrontation is just as wrong as the aforementioned person's love of confrontation. By not confronting wrongful behavior that is in my power (the spirit of which IS from God) to lovingly confront - or even more, that is actually my duty to confront - I am being just as sinful as the person who confronts everyone about everything in an abrasive way. Something for me to think about....