What Does Fighting Solve?

Anytime that we allow hatred to enter our heart, then we are only hurting ourselves. Hatred is a poison that kills the one who harbors it. Nothing good can come from wishing ill will on someone else. 

People are going to do things to upset us. Sometimes it will appear that everything is going wrong in our lives. When we truly feel unhappy with ourselves, then we look for someone else to blame for our misery. It is so much easier to blame others for our heartaches, than it is to look in the mirror and be unhappy with ourselves. 

The real power, however, is not in fighting with other people. We are the strongest when we admit our faults and failures and then work on trying to change them. No one is worth taking away our power with God. We have to learn how to work through our anger. 

How I work through my anger:

1. Exercise. Sometimes a good sweat helps me to clear my head and use up some of my negative energy. Usually, by the time I am finished working out, my problem is not nearly as devastating. 
2. Pray. I want to handle all matters wisely, so I need God to guide me. He will also help me look at my situation with a new perspective. 
3. Learn to respond to situations, instead of reacting. When I react with anger, then it causes me to handle the situation badly. So when a situation comes up, if I feel the anger brewing inside of me, I walk away from the situation until I can handle it calmly and respond in a way that I want to respond. 
4. Respond with love. The world is already filled with enough hate. I don’t want to add to it. Usually, I can ask myself this one question and it will diffuse my anger. “Are you perfect, without sin?” 
5. Pray for the person who has hurt me. The ones who treat us the worst need our love and kindness the most. We don’t know what they are going through. Usually, their bad behavior is a cry for help. 

This can be so hard to do, but when we desire to handle all situations with love, God will help us. I never want anyone to be hurt by my hands or actions. And if I am really struggling, I think about Jesus and how He was treated for our sins. I remember how He responded. As they beat Him, He asked God to forgive the ones who were hurting Him. That is the real strength and love. 

Love and blessings, 

Candida