Calm The Roaring Lion  – Wednesday

Week 2 | Been There

Listen instead of reading

Take a Moment

Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today

Read The Daily

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. (Proverbs 15:1)

I was a few cars back at a stoplight recently and the light turned green, but nobody moved. I patiently waited for 1.7 seconds, then started losing my mind (internally of course).  “Why are we not moving?!” “Probably some young kid in front of me just looking at their phone and unaware that we all need to be moving!”  I was starting to get furious because it was now probably a whole 5 seconds of not moving.  

Then I saw it: An older gentleman was rolling across the intersection as fast as he could in a wheelchair. Ouch!. I didn’t have all the facts; I just reacted. I felt a threat to my sense of control over “my time”.  I’ve learned the hard way that it’s best to approach situations that are making us angry like a paranoid cat—cautiously, tiptoeing, with eyes wide open. Assume there is something happening behind the scenes that you don’t realize. You can turn into a lion later, if needed. But if you go roaring like a lion, without all the facts, you could end up looking really foolish or can make the situation even worse by creating anger and hurt in those around you.

A King named Solomon from a really long time ago (and really really wise) was the one who said, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare..” Anger tends to stir up more anger. But responding in the opposite spirit—with gentleness and calmness—brings peace. It can be hard to stay calm when we get angry, but if we want to bring peace we have to choose our words carefully when we get angry. But to choose your words, you have to step away, slow down, and calm down.

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: Mark 15:1-15 & 2 Corinthians 9:1-5