trbccoffeebreak

“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Psalm 86:15 (NIV)

Lunch time adventures always seem to follow me, so my little incident shouldn’t have been a surprise. I left the office, ran errands and maneuvered through traffic while gulping down my lunch. It was an unusually warm November day, so I reached over and twisted the top off my Diet Coke. Within seconds, I was covered with fizzing warm soda. It spewed on my steering wheel, dashboard and of course my white blouse. All while I was driving down the road headed back to the office. Sticky fingers searched for at least one napkin, tissue or anything. All I could do was laugh.

Have you ever found yourself in a sticky mess – one you never anticipated? It happens all the time. Stress and overload can cause our fuses to short circuit. Our words and actions can spew out all over the people in our path. And if we are not careful, we will leave the sticky residue of our out of control emotions. Unfortunately, sticky doesn’t come off easily it requires some major soaking in warm water – cleansing. The same is true with our emotions. Until we surrender them to God and seek His help, we will continue to spew out of control.

So what’s a girl to do? How about giving our day to God before it has a chance to get overwhelming? I so love praying as I head to work each morning – asking for His guidance over my day. Consider meditating on scripture, tape it to your steering wheel or place it below your computer screen at work. Keeping God’s word at eye level can protect us from a lot of wrongs. Resist the temptation to react. Pause, pray and trust God for the right words to say.

The unanticipated craziness we always be a possibility, but I’d rather give His Spirit full reign in my life before the chaos has a chance to begin. We can trust God to show us exactly how to respond.

“Father, when life gets challenging a good laugh lifts my heart and softens my lips. Help me to avoid the stickiness of emotional overload.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life