unknown
January 23, 2026
Our family has a unique approach to grievances: ‘if you make peace, you heap coals of fire on your enemy’s head’
Advice about how to deal with barbs and those who throw them has trickled down from the Bible and through the generations for Meg Keneally and her father Thomas
TL;DR
- The author's father advised responding to taunts and bullying with extreme kindness.
- This strategy, described as 'heaping coals of fire on your enemy's head,' was meant to confuse and overwhelm the tormentors.
- The biblical origin of this advice is found in the Book of Proverbs.
- The author found this approach effective in resolving conflict and shedding the need for emotional retribution.
- A family anecdote illustrates the concept, with an aunt advising her father to make peace by heaping coals of fire on his enemy's head.
Continue reading the original article