Between You And God #10

Dear God, Sometimes I do things like hit my little sister because she’s bugging me. How can I change?

It’s terrific to have brothers and sisters, but sometimes it can be hard, too. All kinds of people and situations can make us angry, and when we’re angry it’s easy to lose self-control. In the end, we each have to decide what kind of person we want to be, even when we’re mad. We have to make up our minds before we get angry in order to do the right thing the next time we are upset.

You’ve gotten a great start by deciding that you don’t like how you react when someone is bugging you. Now think about what you’re going to do instead of being mean or hitting. Could you go somewhere alone and cool off? Maybe whatever the person did won’t seem so important in a few minutes.

If you feel like hitting someone, stuff your hands into your pockets. If you feel like saying something mean, go talk with your mom or call a friend. Think about all the fun times you share together, and remember that you can make people mad too. Make a habit of doing something right while you wait for your anger to cool down. Otherwise, it’s hard to think straight when you’re upset.

The Bible tells us that we have many blessings. God wants us to keep adding good things to our lives. Why not start with self-control and affection toward those you are angry with? They’ll feel better, and so will you. Pray and ask God to help you with this.

He is always ready to help you do the things he asks you to do. Depend on it!

How about You?

What can you do right now to add these things to your life?

Self-control:

Affection (or love) toward your brothers and sisters:

God Says . . .

Supplement your faith with . . . self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 2 Peter 1:5-7