Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! I can’t wait to live this day…so much hope, opportunity, and promise within it! With a grateful heart, I fully intend to create a masterpiece!
A few weeks ago, I had a work trip. I got up early in the morning at my hotel, went down to the gym and hit a good, long, workout. As I was working out, after my prayer time, I was listening to a podcast. As I was listening to it another guy came into the gym to workout. He didn’t have headphones or earbuds and instead chose to listen to his music with the volume turned up loud. When I say loud, I mean so loud that I could not hear the podcast I was listening to on my air pods. Immediately I was frustrated. Thoughts of “How rude?!” and “Are you kidding me?!” raced through my mind. And then, suddenly, my spirit convicted me. “Let’s handle this differently.” I said a short prayer for the gentlemen, put my air pods in my pocket and listened to his music as I worked out. Later, his kids came to workout with him, and I genuinely enjoyed interacting with them and his interactions with them.
Later that night I was at an event, and I had a gentleman get very hostile with me. He was yelling at me, pointing his finger at me, making disparaging comments, etc. And the darndest thing happened; my spirit was at complete peace. I never raised my voice, got confrontational, or felt the need to respond in a less than kind manner. I simply listened politely, responded appropriately, and heard the gentleman out.
Have you ever been in a moment when you could feel the spirit leading you? Like, you are in the moment, you realize that the way you are reacting is not the way that you would react if you were basing it on who you are, and you can feel the presence of God? Yes, that was what I felt that night with the hostile gentleman.
Here is the crazy thing I would offer to you on this Friday morning; that event happened about 4 weeks ago. It wasn’t until last week that I realized the connection between the two events. I wonder how different my reaction would have been that night had I gone down the rabbit trail of anger, frustration, bitterness, etc. with the gentleman at the gym in the morning. Do you think my spirit would have remained at peace and my countenance would have been calm, had I unloaded on the gentleman at the gym that morning or, if in frustration, I had just grabbed my stuff and left the gym? I don’t either.
Luke 6:45 says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” and Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (my emphasis). Thankfully, I chose to listen to the conviction of the Holy Spirit that morning. I prayed for that man and, instead of harboring bitterness and evil in my heart, I chose to see good. It changed everything in that moment, it prepared my heart for the day, and it then enabled me to respond in a God-honoring way that evening.
For me, examples like this one are far too few. I can give you a long list of times that I said what was on my mind, I got angry, or I stormed off in frustration. I can tell you that none of those interactions ended in a God-honoring way and I don’t even want to think about what the rest of my day looked like. Have you ever come home, grumpy at your family, and say something like, “It was a bad day!” I have used that excuse far too often. I should shut up, realize that my heart is not in the right place, and strive to become the Godly man God created me to become!
So, Friends, I want to challenge all of us; the next time we find ourselves in situations where we can share our mind, get mad, angry, or frustrated, I want to encourage us to take a different path. It will not only change that interaction, but it just might also get our hearts in the right posture to honor God throughout the rest of your day.
A scripture and quote to end this Happy Friday:
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
“You cannot wish for both strong character and easy life, the price of each is the other.” - Unknown
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!
Kev
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