How should I respond when someone else overreacts? - Overreacting - TouchPoints

Genesis 50:20“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

1 Samuel 18:13-14Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle. David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.

Romans 8:28We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

When someone overreacts in our presence, we should trust God to care for us and help us respond with love toward that person. When treated wrongly, we should handle the situation in a way that honors God.

Proverbs 12:16A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

Proverbs 13:3Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.

Proverbs 29:8Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger.

When someone overreacts toward us, we should remain calm. We may be tempted to respond in kind and lash out, but we must control that impulse so that we do not make the situation worse.

Ephesians 4:2Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

When someone overreacts toward us, we should be humble and gentle.

Acts 19:34-41When the crowd realized he [Paul] was a Jew, they started shouting again and kept it up for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians! Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” At last the mayor was able to quiet them down enough to speak. “Citizens of Ephesus,” he said. “Everyone knows that Ephesus is the official guardian of the temple of the great Artemis, whose image fell down to us from heaven. Since this is an undeniable fact, you should stay calm and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, but they have stolen nothing from the temple and have not spoken against our goddess. If Demetrius and the craftsmen have a case against them, the courts are in session and the officials can hear the case at once. Let them make formal charges. And if there are complaints about other matters, they can be settled in a legal assembly. I am afraid we are in danger of being charged with rioting by the Roman government, since there is no cause for all this commotion. And if Rome demands an explanation, we won’t know what to say.” Then he dismissed them, and they dispersed.

When someone overreacts in our presence, we should be level-headed, relying on facts and logic.

Esther 4:3, 7-8, 14, 16As news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes. . . . Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. . . . “If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” . . . “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”

Esther 8:17In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.

Esther 9:1So on March 7 the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies.

When someone overreactis, we should be willing to be God’s instrument in the situation.

Proverbs 22:24-25Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.

Proverbs 29:22An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.

We should avoid spending time with those who consistently overreact, because we may get pulled into bad situations and start reacting as they do.