Daily Power #167

Be made new in the attitude of your minds. (Eph. 4:23)

One time three teenage boys randomly flipped me off as they drove by and raced ahead—laughing hysterically at how much faster, cooler, and superior they were to poor old geek-dad driving his kids around in a soccer mom’s SUV.

Even though I had three of my kids in the car, in that moment something snapped. My foot pressed down on the accelerator and I found myself in hot pursuit. It must have been a full two minutes of full-throttle car chase mayhem (not unlike a car chase you’d see in a guy movie) before I came to my senses and let them go.

Maybe it was catching the look of sheer terror in my daughter’s eyes in my rearview mirror. Maybe it was the thought of having to explain to my wife why the kids and I were being held down at police headquarters. Maybe it was remembering that I live in a relatively small town and that I’m a pastor, one who usually doesn’t go over ninety miles per hour on the highway (with his kids along) just to teach three punks a lesson.

Maybe it was realizing that I was choosing the wrong battle to fight.

Today make sure you’re fighting the right battle and not being distracted by something that ultimately doesn’t matter.

Life is too short to carry a grudge. Your calling is too great to waste your energy in anger. God’s grace is too powerful to keep to yourself.

Power Lift

Father, thank you for your power to renew my mind and keep my attitude focused on loving and serving others, not on seeking revenge.