BECOME
LESS EASILY BOTHERED
1
“To sum up,
all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted and humble in
spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing
instead: for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a
blessing.”
Ephesians
4:32
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each
other, just as God in
1
Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is
patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not
arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked,
does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in
unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things endures all things:
Love never fails.
REFUSE TO
LET IT BUG YOU! This is a fun one to practice if you have
children, but undoubtedly as effective if you do not. Refusing to “let it bug you” can apply to
virtually anything – kids’ fighting, traffic, a messy room, a noisy pet, or a
snoring spouse.
We sometimes tend to habitually react to events beyond our
control. For example, when the kids are fighting
and it feels like you are going to go crazy, your reaction might be to get
angry and send them to their room. Then
you compound the problem by saying to yourself: “I can’t believe how hard it is
to raise kind,” or some other, equally validating statement designed to
convince you that you couldn’t possibly respond in any other way. In our minds, we blow the issue out of
proportion by overanalyzing and discussing it with others. Pretty soon, this and other “small stuff”
starts to seem like really big stuff and you have perhaps built yourself a very
bad habit “THE ANGER MODE”.
It’s entirely possible, however, to train your mind to be less
reactive to ordinarily difficult events.
When you refuse to let it bug you, you are not denying that something
bugs you. What you are doing is
retraining your mind to respond differently to the same set of facts. You begin by telling yourself, in advance of
a normally difficult scenario, “I will not be bothered by, or overreact to,
this even.” The Bible calls it “Casting down those high thoughts against the knowledge of God
and taking every thought captive.” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
On the surface, and in the beginning, this may seem a little
superficial. After all, telling yourself
you’re not going to be bothered can seem a little like telling yourself you
feel good when you have the flu.
However, if you give it a chance, I think you’ll find the strategy is
surprisingly effective. Be patient and
give it some time. It’s going to take
some practice and you can make it into a game for yourself – a game that you
can only win.
This strategy can break most negative patterns that we develop
through habit. You will also probably
stun your family and the result can be that your household will be a much nicer
place to live. Your temper outbursts
cause everyone else’s temper to flare – either outwardly or inwardly, depending
on their personalities.
I believe you will be happier and for sure your blood pressure will
go down!
One more little thought: Did
you realize that: “But I tell you that every
careless word that people speak, they shall give account for it in the day of judgment.” (
So, be careful what you say – and be a good repenter.
Bonnie
