You Make Me Soooo…, Mad About You
Café Menu for Friday, March 18, 2016
Today’s Special: Mad About You
Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Paris Renae
Main Ingredient:
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
James 1:19 NIV
Entrée:
My mother often said to me, ‘Think before you speak’. I often said to my daughter, ‘Think before you act’.
So much easier said than done. How about this:
Think before you: email, text, tweet, post, speak, act.
Many years ago I knew a sweet older lady named Frankie. Frankie had a way of making anyone smile. One time she could tell I was not a happy camper, so she told me this story…
Us seniors still have lessons to learn, believe it or not. Last night we all got together for our Bible class here at church and they took us outside and gave each of us a bag of feathers.
About this time I’m thinking, ‘Frankie, where on earth are you going with this?’
She continued,
The leader told us that the feathers represented all the times we’ve gotten angry with someone. Imagine each of those feathers are words you thought or spoke. Open your bag and shake it up in the air over your head and take back all your feathers.
When we did this the breeze caught the feathers sending them every which direction. Mine got mixed up with everybody else’s. I couldn’t take them back. It’s the same with words, dear, don’t let them out unless you’re sure you want them to land on somebody else.
Before I could respond she started laughing,
You should have seen all us old ladies covered in feathers, I’m sure when we went out for dessert that night, there were some on the back of my sweater.
Then she walked away like she always did, smiling and going on to the next person that needed some Jesus with skin on.
The verse for today continues on into verse 20 and says,
because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Ouch! Maybe instead of being mad at someone we can think like our Father does about us, "I’m mad about you" – wanting only the best…
Take Out:
Oh, we are so quick to let anger stir up aren’t we? What’s really going on is we have been offended. That is life isn’t it? We’re not in charge and offenses are going to happen. Join me in thinking before doing anything and asking God to slow us down. Maybe if we seek Him, thinking more highly of others than of selves, our feathers won’t get so ruffled to begin with.
Dessert:
Oh Lord, in the midst of feeling slighted or downright stepped all over, will You please slow down our reactions? Show us how to release to You first any offense we may be feeling and show us Your perspective. Help us to glorify You before we satisfy self. This isn’t going to happen in our own strength. We ask that Your strength be what guides us in trying times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
For more encouragement, visit Paris at livingbraver.wordpress.com or parisrenae.wordpress.com.
© 2016 by Paris Renae. All rights reserved.
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Originally published Friday, 18 March 2016.
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