Another exciting game of baseball! The batter walks up to bat. He positions himself to swing, the pitcher throws the ball. “Strike”, the umpire yells! “No way, that totally looks like a ball,” I say to myself. Though what the umpire calls, is what it is, even if it isn’t. I want to be frustrated at the bad call, but it won’t change anything. So, I take a breath and remind myself that Jesus knows and that the team just needs to keep playing an honest game. It can be difficult to hold our tongue and keep our cool when people are making bad calls. But rather we agree with someone or not, we must not turn it into an argument. Though there are times where it is ok to speak up and voice concerns, we must not let our temper do the talking. Friend, may we pray first, and trust that God knows all and sees all. Then, we must ask ourselves, is it worth speaking up about? If it is, we must then make sure that our concerns stay concerns, and not turn them into hostility and arguments. We must remember to handle things like Jesus would. It was a great game of baseball tonight, though my team didn’t win. But they sure played an honest, good game and that’s something to speak up about.

Erin Fitts-Brower

Handle it like Jesus

1 Peter 2:21-23 NIV

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.