Life Plan Devotion #49 [Spring Cleaning--Strife, Day 2]

Yesterday, we began a new mini-devotional series called "Spring Cleaning." The first thing we want to get out of our home is strife.
I spent a number of years as a high school English teacher. I loved teaching, and I loved kids. Most of my students called me Mama Law, a name they came up with, so they saw me as a mother figure.
One year, near the end of the school year, because my seniors had just graduated, I spent most of my afternoon in the pod (storage room in the middle with 4 classrooms that spidered out from there), cleaning and taking inventory of the books.
You could hear most everything from each classroom, when in the pod, and I became a reluctant hearer of an unfortunate confrontation. All of a sudden, I heard the teacher yell, "Pick up that balled-up piece of paper you tossed at the trash can and throw it away properly," to which the male student replied, "No." The conversation, frustration, words, and threats escalated from there, very quickly. Just as I was about to call the office, I heard a very loud crash, which resulted from the student pulling over a bookcase full of books, onto the floor. All of this happened over a piece of trash!
If only the teacher had known or taken to heart what the Bible has to say, in II Timothy 2:23, "Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels." It's so true, that "Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam," and the advice of "so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out" is so wise (Proverbs 17:14).
Proverbs 15:8 says that "A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel." Anger is at the root of every quarrel. Anger is an emotion, and every emotion is God-given, but as Ephesians 4:26 cautions, "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." Anger can be expressed in appropriate ways, and things should be worked out before the sun sets.
If your home sees quarreling, clean up the quarrels and get them out! Work to make your home a haven of rest.

Proverbs 15:1 [NIV]
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

What this has to do with weight loss: Sometimes the dieting part of our weight-loss journey can give us a seemingly-terminal case of the grumps, especially if we're craving carbs or trying to wean off them! It's important to think before you speak, to be aware of what you're saying, to avoid the cycle of frustration and angry words, and replace them with gentle speak. Your family shouldn't suffer because you're dieting.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I recognize that there are times when I get involved in foolish and stupid arguments. I repent for the times that I stirred things up with my words, when I could have responded gently and diffused the situation. Lord, I long for my home to be a haven of rest, a respite from the often cruel world. Help me to be aware of what I'm saying and how I'm voicing my words. Help me to root out all quarreling from my home. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen."

Go forth today, speaking words of gentleness.

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