Wisdom

How do you react to controversy? What do you do when someone opposes you or takes the opposite stance? Do your debates escalate in volume or spread into areas that have nothing to do with the initial subject? Does your conversation quickly slide into sarcastic remarks or rage into a range of emotions you have bottled up? As you read this, were you imagining these reactions coming from other people or coming out of yourself? Pause and think it through; be honest with yourself but don’t beat yourself up.

We might define controversy as a conflict between two or more people, but many times it comes from within. How do you talk to yourself? Do you slice yourself with sarcasm, call yourself ugly names, or let your mind race to every mistake you have ever made and drag the past into your present situation? Stop! Give yourself a break by breaking up with the pain of your past and let the wisdom of God rush into your current situation. Stay calm and stay present; rest in God’s forgiveness and faithfulness in your past, and let him fill your mind with wisdom in this moment.

We cannot control other people’s actions or emotions, but we can choose to control our own. Stop the chase that causes your mind and mouth to race to places that bring more conflict, and let God embrace you with wisdom that allows love and peace to flourish in and around you. Rest in the moment. Don’t race back to the past or forward to the finish line; let God guide you at his pace to the place where victory waits for you.

Invitation to Prayer

Heavenly Father, it is hard for me to imagine victory waiting on me. I have always pictured a race as a place of running full steam ahead. Just when I think I have left the past behind, something triggers my anger, regret, or pride, and I realize that I am carrying the past around instead of casting it. I leave my past with you where your love and peace can reshape it into wisdom, and I can rest and not rage. Give me the wisdom to see controversy as opportunity, not opposition.