(Galatians 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control . . .
Okay, I’ve got a proposition for you that may seem kind of wild, but I hope you will indulge me just for a moment. I would like for you, the next time you have a meltdown, to just freak out for only five minutes. That’s right . . . just five minutes. Get all your anger out, say what you want to say, vent till you’re spent, cry, yell, pound your fist, kick the wall, say you’re going to quit, threaten to leave, send your mean text, and do whatever else you want to do. Then when time is up you have to quit. Your meltdown is over. Now you just go on with your business, be cool, and have a great rest of the day.
So, what do you think? Sound kind of crazy, huh? Well, you know what I’m trying to do, don’t ya? Yeah, you’re quick. You know that if I can get you to put all your anger and upsetness into five minutes then you will think, “Well, if I can get all this emotional expenditure down to five minutes, then why not go further and get it down to one minute? And if I can get it down to one minute then why not just skip my tantrum completely?” He he . . . I love strategy!
We all have our own way of throwing a fit when things get overwhelming and we feel we are under undo pressure. We go off and lose emotional control and we say and do things that are not good. Family members retreat to their bedrooms, our pets hide under the beds, and we are left alone with regret over what was said and done. You see, it’s not just the terrible-twos that we have to worry about. We can lose it at any age, given the right amount of circumstance. But is it worth it? Do we always have to default to having an outburst (2 Cor 12:20)? Isn’t there a better way to act when we are angry?
The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. This means we don’t have to give in to how we are feeling. The Holy Spirit will restrain us if we yield to His power within us. We can choose to let the Lord settle us down and to maintain our composure. All we have to do is step aside, give way to His influence, and then we will mellow instead of meltdown. Then the fruit of that will be so wonderful, we will be glad we didn’t give in. We maintained our serenity and therefore had the ability to ACT instead of REACT. Our emotions did not have the chance to take over, so we remained calm and collective to deal with the pressure of the moment. We stayed composed in front of others and so were able to deal with the situation at hand with wisdom and fortitude. Instead of flipping out, we peaced out! (Col 3:15)
So, what do you think? Want to take me up on the challenge? Enjoy . . . and tell others about THE FIVE-MINUTE MELTDOWN! (James 3:17) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits . . .
Louie