Acts 14 & 15 - On Being Reasonable

I think I can learn a lot about handling conflict from today's reading. So many times I am quick to get angry and think the worst of a given situation that I don't take time to really evaluate what is really going on.

Especially with my children.

There are some times that I should really sit down and listen to my kids reasoning on why they made certain choices. I think that if I could just do this, a lot of yelling and anger would go away. 

There are other times in my life when people wrong me and I just stay quiet. This is not always the best solution. I have this little saying I use pretty much every day...People do what you allow. 

Then there are the times when I am mama bear mad and I don't care who knows it. Not much need for elaborating here. 

But here is where I get it wrong from the very first hint of a problem...I don't immediately go to him in prayer. I have improved so much in this area but it is still a tough one. I need to seek his voice and I need him to give me ears to hear, a tongue slow to speak, patience and empathy. 

My youngest daughter and I have started a journal that we can use when we are really angry, hurt, or if we just want to share something positive. We have only used this a few times but it is really neat to see the other persons perspective written down where I can respond. It is kind of hard to yell with pencil and paper. I am also really thankful for the eraser.