Grace Under Pressure

Hi all,

I hope that you're having a relaxing Saturday. Perhaps this is more of a monday post..haha. You'll soon understand. This morning was not a relaxing morning for me, to wake up to my husband irate about the dog having a poop accident in his crate. It wasn't the pup's fault really- it was probably the bone he had the day before and dog's don't like messing their beds so this was like an emergency situation for the little guy. Anyways, it was a mess and my mom helped us clean everything up. But this got me thinking- when annoying situations come our way- do we respond with grace, compassion, acceptance, helpfulness or do we get frusterated, angry, upset, throw a tantrum?

I hope we do the first set of things but I know it's not always true. We're not perfect people and sometimes things just bother us and we can't help but get angry and upset. The key is to not let this happen too often. We can't let circumstance and emotion control our lives. Think of the New testament and how often Jesus was hounded by crowds in the Bible- even the disciples sometimes told him to send the people away- but Jesus didn't lose his patience with the crowds and his lack of privacy- he responded compassionately to them, always willing to help, go the extra mile. I know that a lot of us in Jesus's situation would get annoyed at the constant bombardment of people wanting attention from us that we would eventually snap and freak out at everyone. It's so hard to remain cool under pressure. It's especially hard when we have a plan for the day and then suddenly something throws it all askew. This is one of those situations that drives me crazy!! Or we look forward to something but then a situation inteferes and we miss out, such as on a peaceful morning or a special event.

It seems like there is always a situation around every corner to test our patiences, push our buttons. We make a pact to act better, more easy going the next time around and when the next time comes, we take a fit and freak out. It's really hard to meet life's hurdles with a constant good attitude and mood, not to let it get you down. Sometimes I feel it's nearly impossible to make a decision that next time will be better because I'm always disapointed by my actions when next time does come.

So what's the solution? Is there one? Well, of course, there has to be, God doesn't just leave us hanging with those annoying, frusterating, troublesome moments of life. After all, he doesn't want you to break out swearing when you spill your morning's cup of coffee on your fresh work clothes.

So here are some verses to claim over our lives for when those frusterating moments come:
Colossians 3:12 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience..."
James 1:19-20 "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble...even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."

I also think that we are able to deal with mishaps better when we are free from the entanglements of stress. So take some time today to surrender to God, his will and know that he will take care of you. He has everything under control. Then when trouble happens- we can remember that God has control over our lives so we just need to function in an effort to bring glory to him by all that we do. We need to act in compassion, with a humble heart and trust God to sort everything out. It's tough, especially in the heat of the moment. But maybe this is just one of those things where the more you work at it, the more you practise patience and endurance, the better you become with dealing with trouble, and the more flexible you are. Here's to continued effort and patience girls!