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Key Bible Verse: A hothead starts fights; a cool-tempered person tries to stop them (Proverbs 15:18). Bonus Reading: Proverbs 15:1; James 1:19–20

A teenager who'd recently become a Christian lived in a home where tempers were often short—his included.

One day, he says, "we were going at it, as usual. Every time my mom had an insult for me, I had one ready to fire right back. Then, suddenly, through all the noise of our angry words, I felt the Holy Spirit penetrate my hurt feelings and speak to my heart: 'Shh. Be quiet. Listen.'

"So I shut my smart alecky mouth and saw a single mom doing the best she could with limited resources, frustrated with her life in general and with me at that moment. I realized fighting verbal battles with her wasn't going to bring peace to my home.

"While she yelled, I tried to recall times of tenderness between us, times when she helped me while I was sick and cheered while I played sports or performed in dramas. She continued fighting, but it's hard to fight when no one fights back.

"After a few more minutes, her anger subsided, and mine did, too. Then we talked calmly and reached a solution to our problem we were both happy with. It only happened after I declared peace, not war. To this day, our relationship has been different."

—Mike Nappa in The Courage to Be a Christian

My Response: I'll think about how to declare peace to an antagonist.

Thought to Apply: Never answer an angry word with an angry word. It's always the second remark that starts the trouble. —source unknown

Adapted from The Courage to Be a Christian (Howard, 2001) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, empower me to channel my emotions so that I'm a guided missile, not a loose cannon.

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