What type of imprint are you leaving?

How many times have you seen it? How many times have you been the one that did it? It is a common thing that we all see so often and feel ashamed and a lot of time embarrassed when it happens.

Most of us have been behind the person at the cash register whose item rang up the incorrect price and they went crazy on the cashier. We have seen the mother or father who flipped a lid when their child made a little mess of glitter in the floor. We’ve seen it happen and the majority of the time when we look back at it, we see how unnecessary those actions were.

When we overreact during a situation that our kids have produced, do we take the time to apologize to them for our own actions? The minds of our children at their young age are like sponges. They absorb everything they see us do and remember most everything they hear us say. Blowing a fuse on our kids for reasons that are absurd doesn’t help our kids and their relationship with us, it hurts it.

Overreacting doesn’t have to involve our own kids, it can be how we treat others as well. Whether it be a child or another adult, this type of behavior can damage a person’s relationship with us. Children look up to us adults and it is important on how we manage situations especially those that are not as big of a deal as we make them. We need to be cautious because our actions can permanently damage a kid’s perspective on certain situations and environments.

Psalm 37:7-8: “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.”

As Christians, we are commanded to be Christ-like. The above passage tells us that we need to rest in the Lord. Anger never solves problems and often times makes us less able to cope with certain things. A lot of people use anger to advance themselves and show authority to others but in the end, they do not benefit from their actions. It only hurts the one who they retaliated against.

Let’s take a step back and work hard on managing our reactions. We don’t want to leave a negative imprint on a child’s life or ruin a relationship with someone over an action that could have been controlled. Pray that you can have the patients to handle all situations and that your actions will be approved by Christ. If you struggle with controlling your actions, pray and let God help you. Give it all to Him.

God is Good.