A few Sundays back I was driving home with my daughters in the car. All of a sudden there was a terrible screeching sound coming from my front tyre. The sound very much resembled fingernails being scrapped against a blackboard. It was terrible. Me, being the only adult in the car was trying to remain calm, thinking ‘I just need to get home safely’. Whereas my daughters had more of a reaction of fear, worry, and panic. Luckily the next day we found that it was just a little stone caught in my wheel and the solution was quite simple.
My daughters expressed a very natural reaction about how they were feeling in the situation. I didn’t show them the panic I was actually feeling inside. What if there is something seriously wrong with the car? How much money will this cost me? What if I can’t use my car for work? No matter what distress I was feeling, I was choosing to display a different response in this situation in order to create a calm that my daughters needed to regain a feeling of safety. If I had chosen to display my actual emotional reaction it would have completely changed the situation and made the atmosphere a lot worse.
Often in life things can happen that create different responses and reactions from us. People can say things to upset us or make us angry. We have a choice whether we react emotionally or respond thoughtfully. Sometimes our reactions are not thought through and our initial feelings about a situation rise up and actually have the potential to make things worse. Sometimes we need to just take a step back and think about how to respond in the situation.
That Sunday even though I wanted to react negatively to the car screeching, I chose to think calmly and positively. Each of us has the same choice to make when we are faced with a situation that can evoke either a negative reaction or a positive response. Whatever you face this week I implore you to try and take a step back, a deep breath and choose a positive approach. In Proverbs 13:16 it says “Wise people think before they act; fools don’t—and even brag about their foolishness.”No matter what we may face let’s choose to be wise in our responses by thinking before we act from here on out.
Emily Hart
Kings Lynn Christian Fellowship