That has been identified as an area of growth in my house. Ironically it was my nine year old that came up with a great plan. We often fight over homework... He doesn't want to do it, I get mad, He gets mad, we yell, we both feel bad.
He had the idea that whenever we feel like we are losing it... beginning to let that ugly old flesh rear it's head, we yell SHARK! He is brilliant. A shark has big teeth, it is really scary and if don't watch out it might eat you. What do we do when we yell shark?
- We Stop - we don't say another word... not even a grunt!
- We Hear - what are we saying? What does it sound like?
- We Ask - What is going on? What is broken in me that I'm losing it?
- We Relax - take a deep breath, walk away, give ourselves a time out... whatever we need to do.
- We K - K(C) Communicate - okay I'm a dork but whatever - we talk about it.
If we follow this pattern, then before the shark eats one of us... we given ourselves the opportunity to get away. We've stopped and allowed the Holy Spirit to work in us and resuce us from the temptation to let the yelling match begin.
Self Control is not the ability to control yourself, for me it is understanding when you are losing control and surrendering that feeling to the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to work in you... growing you and guiding you. By the way, this can be applied to every area in which we are tempted to lose control; yelling, eating, shopping, gossiping...
So what do you do? How do you approach self control? Do you recognize when you are out of control? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
