Proverbs 15:18
Losing your temper causes a lot of trouble, but staying calm settles arguments.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I
don’t know how she did it. I don’t know how Diamond Reynolds was able
to remain calm and do a Facebook live stream of the aftermath from the
shooting of her boyfriend, Philando Castille, who sat beside her in the
front seat of her car in a Minneapolist/St. Paul suburb. Reynolds’
four-year-old daughter was in the back seat. And as the police officer
shouted at this child’s mother to keep her hands visible, she politely
said, “I will, sir. No worries. I will.”
I don’t know how
Reynolds kept her composure as she cried out to God and asked that her
boyfriend not die. I have to believe that every fiber of her being
wanted to scream and rail in agony at what was unfolding. And while I
do not mean to pass judgment on either party in this horrific incident…I
do believe that this woman’s calm demeanor prevented further escalation
– and maybe more injuries or casualties.
While I hope and pray
that we are never on either side of a confrontation where one person is
pointing a gun at another, there is a lesson here for all of us. Because
you see, every single day, in many ways, we “point the gun” at someone
and begin to scream our harsh words and loud protests. Every day,
someone rails against another person with vile language and loud
rants…and that person has a choice about how to react. He/she can join
in and allow the yelling and screaming to escalate into a free-for-all
and potential disaster. Or the conscious choice can be made to remain
calm and proceed with caution and measured reason.
You and I
make choices every day about how we will react to others. And often,
those choices involve whether to “yell and scream” – or to ask God to
fill us with calm, kindness and a rational demeanor in our responses.
The outcome may not be literally a matter of life and death…but it has
spiritual – and possibly eternal – consequences. We simply cannot
afford to risk such dire results…this is not God’s desire for us.
I
have to believe that God surrounded Diamond Reynolds with a spirit of
calm and resolve as chaos ensued all around her. Today, ask God to give
you this same spirit of calm – and a heart filled with kindness, mercy
and compassion, even when others are “yelling and screaming” all around
you. Ask God to equip you with the wisdom and gentleness of spirit to
moderate situations in which tempers could flare and chaos could erupt.
And ask Him to make you an instrument of peace for others. God wants
us to get this right. Will this be the day that we begin?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label avoiding a quick temper or decision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label avoiding a quick temper or decision. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 28, 2014
Psalm 37:7
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The words “be still” are really not high on my vocabulary list! In my own defense, I grew up with a grandmother who would call and say, “there are peas and beans to be picked in the garden.” By the time my parents, siblings and I got to her farm to help, said peas or beans were already picked, shelled – and either put up in the freezer, or simmering in a pot on the stove alongside an all-out country dinner! My dad (her son) was one of these “if-you-want-that-fence-torn-down-then-show-me-where-to-put-the-remnants” …or “you’re-thinking-of-moving-so-I’ll-hook-my-trailer-to-the-truck” sort of guy.
Then I married someone who was more pensive and patient. Greg thinks things through…sometimes for days or weeks. He studies all of the angles and carefully weighs the outcomes. He can make split-second decisions…but he can also say, “Let’s not get in a hurry…there is no rush!” He is not an impulse buyer…nor does he have a quick temper. He has helped me to discover that while “The early bird gets the worm”…there is also wisdom in knowing that “Good things come to those who wait”!
As I have grown in my faith and my relationship with the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand the delicate balance of knowing when to act quickly, and when to “be still”. I will be the first in line to press the button when tickets go on sale for a James Taylor concert…but it may take me weeks or months to pick out a new laptop computer or a car. I may be one of the “first responders” when someone I know or care about is in need…but now, I may take a step back and prayerfully consider my response and/or reaction when someone offends me.
I have learned that evil people with wicked schemes don’t really prosper…even when it seems that they may – momentarily, at least. Name one person who truly “skirted by” his/her entire life without some sort of downfall or defeat. I don’t say this to imply that I wish anyone to suffer or to receive “just desserts”. I know plenty of “good people” who have suffered tremendous injustices while it seems that those who defy God at every turn seem to skate along. But I also know that not all rewards and blessings are visible and tangible in this earthly lifetime…nor are the consequences for bad behaviors.
And so, as I sit here with a cup of coffee and talk with you, I suggest that we all take time today – and every day – to “be still”…to consult God before we make decisions of all sizes, shapes and colors…and to wait patiently for His wise reply. Would you really rather have “the worm”…or the “good things” that come from waiting on the LORD? Are you ready to “be still and know” the difference?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The words “be still” are really not high on my vocabulary list! In my own defense, I grew up with a grandmother who would call and say, “there are peas and beans to be picked in the garden.” By the time my parents, siblings and I got to her farm to help, said peas or beans were already picked, shelled – and either put up in the freezer, or simmering in a pot on the stove alongside an all-out country dinner! My dad (her son) was one of these “if-you-want-that-fence-torn-down-then-show-me-where-to-put-the-remnants” …or “you’re-thinking-of-moving-so-I’ll-hook-my-trailer-to-the-truck” sort of guy.
Then I married someone who was more pensive and patient. Greg thinks things through…sometimes for days or weeks. He studies all of the angles and carefully weighs the outcomes. He can make split-second decisions…but he can also say, “Let’s not get in a hurry…there is no rush!” He is not an impulse buyer…nor does he have a quick temper. He has helped me to discover that while “The early bird gets the worm”…there is also wisdom in knowing that “Good things come to those who wait”!
As I have grown in my faith and my relationship with the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand the delicate balance of knowing when to act quickly, and when to “be still”. I will be the first in line to press the button when tickets go on sale for a James Taylor concert…but it may take me weeks or months to pick out a new laptop computer or a car. I may be one of the “first responders” when someone I know or care about is in need…but now, I may take a step back and prayerfully consider my response and/or reaction when someone offends me.
I have learned that evil people with wicked schemes don’t really prosper…even when it seems that they may – momentarily, at least. Name one person who truly “skirted by” his/her entire life without some sort of downfall or defeat. I don’t say this to imply that I wish anyone to suffer or to receive “just desserts”. I know plenty of “good people” who have suffered tremendous injustices while it seems that those who defy God at every turn seem to skate along. But I also know that not all rewards and blessings are visible and tangible in this earthly lifetime…nor are the consequences for bad behaviors.
And so, as I sit here with a cup of coffee and talk with you, I suggest that we all take time today – and every day – to “be still”…to consult God before we make decisions of all sizes, shapes and colors…and to wait patiently for His wise reply. Would you really rather have “the worm”…or the “good things” that come from waiting on the LORD? Are you ready to “be still and know” the difference?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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