A Choice to Choose

Have you ever had a situation where someone else in your life made a poor choice and you had to deal with the aftermath? We have all experienced these unfortunate circumstances and most likely have dealt with it in a negative way. I remember when I was about 11 years old and my older sister and I were watching Saturday morning cartoons and we were each allowed to choose a 30 minute program to watch. When her thirty minutes were up I got up and changed the channel but to my surprise she wasn't ready to relinquish the control. To make a long story short, a fight ensued and I walked away with a bloody, bruised leg and she walked away with a fat lip.  As Gary Smalley states, "You can't always choose your relationships, but you can choose how you will act in those relationships." What can we do to help our children learn how to minimize the physical and emotional pain these types of problems can stir up?

This month we are starting a new series called MyLife. We will be talking about how to handle situations where other people's poor choices affect our lives and what we can do to productively handle the situation while maintaining a godly attitude. It doesn't take me long to think of countless other times when I handled a situation poorly and have seriously damaged relationships because of my inability to confront people in a healthy way and I'm sure you can think of many of your own inappropriate reactions.

So, I challenge you to talk with your children (and even practice this in your own life when the opportunity arises) about what to do when we face bullies, complainers, tempers, and unfair authority figures. Here are a few steps to get you started:

1. Pray for the person. The person may not change but your heart will!
2. Walk away.
3. Get support from a caring adult.