Yesterday morning our house had a bad case of crankiness. It seemed that everyone was cranky all at once, which led to even more irritation and crankiness. And then the battery on the van went bad and I needed to stop what I was doing and get a new battery. Normally such a mundane happening wouldn’t bother me but this just added to my annoyance and I confess that I began blaming others for why I was irritable and short-tempered. Now clearly such an attitude was inappropriate, but I really felt like wallowing in it for a while. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” Clearly, I was not being motivated by love.
Thankfully, I was able to stop, repent, and ask forgiveness for my actions. Unfortunately, this only happened AFTER I caused hurt and pain in the hearts of those I love most. My prayer is that God would heal the hearts that I hurt. In the meantime, I’ve been replacing my crankiness with thankfulness. It’s rather hard to stay annoyed if you’re reflecting on all of the things that you are grateful for. So if you’re feeling cranky today, don’t take it out on those closest to you; instead respond to these words in Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Are You Cranky???
Yesterday morning our house had a bad case of crankiness. It seemed that everyone was cranky all at once, which led to even more irritation and crankiness. And then the battery on the van went bad and I needed to stop what I was doing and get a new battery. Normally such a mundane happening wouldn’t bother me but this just added to my annoyance and I confess that I began blaming others for why I was irritable and short-tempered. Now clearly such an attitude was inappropriate, but I really felt like wallowing in it for a while. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.” Clearly, I was not being motivated by love.
Thankfully, I was able to stop, repent, and ask forgiveness for my actions. Unfortunately, this only happened AFTER I caused hurt and pain in the hearts of those I love most. My prayer is that God would heal the hearts that I hurt. In the meantime, I’ve been replacing my crankiness with thankfulness. It’s rather hard to stay annoyed if you’re reflecting on all of the things that you are grateful for. So if you’re feeling cranky today, don’t take it out on those closest to you; instead respond to these words in Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
By: Pastor Jay Mast