By: Sir Godfrey Gregg 

Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. — Proverbs 12:16

Thought for the Day: I have to make the choice every day to interrupt my fleshly tendencies of yelling and getting angry over minor things.

If you have kids, then I’m sure you’ve felt the frustration of having things ruined. Maybe you’ve experienced grape juice on the carpet, scratches on hardwood floors, permanent ink on your favourite shirt, or something similar. Your living room is a mess like it had been trashed. The whole house seems to be a mess.

Can you imagine your child marking your walls that were recently painted? I can feel the anger deep inside and what you want to do to that one. Yes, that is something to trigger anyone’s emotions. Stop for a moment and calm down, find the one and have a little conversation and see what happens next time.

I’d like to be a mom who handles mishaps and messes with a graceful, “That’s okay, dear.” But you are wired with firecrackers in your blood. So you have to make the choice to let the Holy Spirit rein you in. This means getting into God’s Word every day and praying for Him to help you display grace, patience, and self-control when you want to do the exact opposite.

As a Christian, I have to make the choice every day to invite God’s Spirit to interrupt my fleshly tendencies of yelling and getting so angry over minor things. As Proverbs 12:16 says, I don’t want to be a fool that shows my annoyance at once. I want to be a prudent, wise man. I want to be a man who doesn’t constantly regret my reactions later.

God helps me with this through perspective changers. He shows me a different way to look at and process things that trigger my emotions. In response to my frustration with people around me ruining things, He gave me a sweet change of perspective that improved my outlook and diffused my anger.

I read a little story where a child wrote his name on his mom’s desk and she thought it was ruined, later someone saw te desk and wanted it and she said no because it was now a priceless desk. She has her son’s name on her desk until she departs this world. The discussion continued with the showing of the scratch.

She unlatched the fold-down lid to reveal what made this desk so special to her. In a little boy’s handwriting, the letters A-R-T were scratched onto the surface. His name was forever carved onto her desk.

She admitted to being angry with Art when this happened years and years ago, but now the scratches that seemed to have ruined her desk are priceless treasures to her. Her little boy’s handwriting is saved for her to cherish and remember. The desk had been ruined… for good.

And I pray that remembering this story, this perspective change, makes me ruined for good as well.

Dear Lord, thank You for perspective changes that help us to see past the here and now so that we can see Your truth which sets us free. We are freed from anger, firecracker emotions, short fuses, and explosive tempers… free to reveal the You in us! In Jesus’ Name. Amen