Being In Control Begins With YOU!

God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

1 Timothy 1:7 

 

I can't say that I'm smart or wise, but I do have a Principle.  It's called the "HEHOO Principle" and I fail quite often in its practice.  It goes like this: "HEHOO can harsh your mellow owns you!"  And guess what?  It's true!

 

Think about the person who said something about you that you didn't like.  You steamed over it, pondered it, and relived it over and over and over.  Well...that person OWNS you because they are controlling your thoughts and you attitudes!  And here's the sad truth of it all, we are VERY quick to let other people own us!

 

Here's a nugget of wisdom I heard many years ago: "You cannot control what others say or do. You can only control YOUR reaction to them."   Want to stop people from owning you?  Then consciously decide that their words and actions are their problem for which they will eventually have to answer.  

 

People are going to say and do things we don't like.  That's a given.  But since we KNOW that they will, it becomes OUR responsibility to begin training ourselves to deal with it properly, and this is where I struggle too.  Instead of a knee jerk, sharp tongued response, I should respond with kindness and courtesy.  Even if that means distancing myself from that person and being only professional and courteous should we have to interact with each other.

 

God gives us that strength but it's up to us to exercise it and use it.  Like any muscle, if it is not exercised it will be useless and weak.