Overcoming Our Impulses

But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

-Psalm 37:11

Do you find yourself lashing out or taking anything people say personally? How about doing something you later regretted down the road (quitting a job, filing for divorce, ending relationships)?

Many times in the Bible it implicates the need to control our impulsive behavior pattern. We should never make a permanent decision based on a temporary situation. Impulsiveness always gets us into trouble. Instead of being impulsive we should learn self-restraint. It can be really difficult in times of stress because we may tend to lose our calm and rational selves but we should learn to overlook slights and mistakes and save our energy for the big problems we face in life. We need to make sure in our lives that our emotions are not driving our words and actions. Instead of succumbing to the irrational, impulsive reaction, we should to take a deep breath, step back and stay calm. The hardest test is to keep quiet and remain calm no matter what even if we find ourselves to be justified. If we can pass the test and not give in to the impulsive reaction, God comes on the scene and turns things around for us. If we’re at a point where don’t think we can take it another moment and we’re contemplating an impulsive action let’s try to do the opposite of what our emotions are telling us to do. A day can change everything and it can also change our mood and emotions. Let us pray for rational reactions to irrational situations.