Our piano has gotten lots of use over the years. One of our boys used one key in particular and would hit it repeatedly to be annoying. He was usually quite successful. That very key on the piano has had to be repaired as it is the one that has been pressed so many times!

In life we all have buttons that no one can see but can be pressed often, and can become more sensitive over time.

As we prepare for the season ahead, for gatherings with family and friends, we can have great times but there can also be opportunities for all kinds of buttons to be pressed, some more aggressively than others. The one truth that never changes is this: we get to choose how we will respond.

I was thinking about the emotions or reactions that seem to arise so easily during all this button pressing drama, and i thought of:

Fear and worry
Despair
Anger
Frustration
Denial/defensiveness
Jumping to conclusions
Feelings of rejection or hurt
Hardened hearts, or maybe the addition of another brick to the wall you’ve been building for years

I was reading today in Isaiah 41. In verse 10 it says this: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

When a button gets pressed yet again, I think it is good to acknowledge what you are feeling and then quietly take a moment to put your eyes on God who you know loves you and has you firmly in His great big hand. We do not need to fear. We can put our trust in Him. We are not going to change people as much as we would like to. What we can do is choose how we respond. Be quick to acknowledge what you feel, and then leave the remark or action with God and forgive them. I would certainly ask for wisdom to know what the next step is. Sometimes we get to speak up and respond, but to do so before thinking it through (at least in my experience) seldom ends well.

It takes so much grace and wisdom to navigate the relationships we have in life, especially those most dear to us. May God give to us exactly what we need!

Dear Father,

I thank You for every opportunity I have to be with people this season. I pray that I would be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to become angry, just as Your word teaches me. May I be a blessing to everyone. Guard my heart and my mind.

In Jesus Name,

Amen