Far too often we choose to react rather than respond. We let our emotions of the moment rule the day and wreak havoc on all around us.

Anger is not a sin. It’s what we do with it.

Fear is not a sin. It’s what we allow it to do with us.

Our emotions are not the problem.
It’s our minds.

Every time something happens or someone says something to us, we have a choice. We can choose to let the emotion drive us to react or we can choose to think first then respond. We can allow our fight-or-flight response to lash back or we can let our God-installed rationality think about what was said and respond with grace and wisdom.

You say you don’t have that rationality, you just can’t help yourself?

Then why does God say this is the best way?

If our ability to control our
thoughts and actions
didn’t exist,
He wouldn’t tell us to do so.

It’s time we all remembered that life is not a race. We don’t have to respond to what that person said or did in the next nanosecond. We can actually take a breath and think. In that moment we can pray. And if that moment isn’t enough, we can excuse ourselves for a few minutes and step away. (I suggest telling that person you’re stepping away to form your response and you’ll be back momentarily. It’s respectful and it helps.)

Once that’s done, your emotion may still be anger, but your response will be reasoned and calm. You may still feel the fear, but your response will be measured.

The trick is to not say anything until you’ve thought about WHY you want to say *that* thing. Why *those* words were the first to rise to your lips.

Then, when you’ve washed and rinsed those words through the Holy Spirit who lives in you, you can offer them to the other person.

Let’s start choosing today to return grace and truth in all our words. Let’s allow every reaction to remain inside us until we’ve taken the chance to roll it around, size it up, and make it the softest response.

Today, let’s begin to #ChooseWell.

Coffee, Bible, Journal.