Karate Chop

Marilyn Monroe once said: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
Why in the world am I quoting Marilyn Monroe?! While she had a point that people should like us the way that we are, it was almost as if she was excusing her behavior.

Tonight, I took my son and my friend's daughter to Chick-fil-a for a fundraiser. Sarah (my friend's daughter) and I sat at a table and she started to open a mayonnaise packet. As she sat and struggled to open the packet on the "tear here" line, I could foresee mayonnaise spurting out all over the place. No sooner did I think that – that is exactly what happened. Mayonnaise was all over the floor and luckily missed the two of us. We both laughed hysterically knowing that something like that was bound to happen. Some things ARE truly out of our control.

However, after that, we went to my daughter Grace's JV basketball game. We were playing a rather physical team. During the game, one girl on the other team had been excessively physical on a number of plays. During one of the last plays of the game, our player went up for a layup and this same girl on the other team karate chopped her arm. Our player was writhing with pain on the floor holding her arm. It was clear that she was injured and all because this girl was out of control. We can sit and say that the referees didn't do their job but at what point do we take responsibility for ourselves? She may not have intended on hurting our player, but her lack of self-control may have broken this girl's arm and she will be out the rest of the season. A split second changed the course of someone else's life.

As I was doing my mile, I sat judging the situation and felt justified with my feelings, I felt convicted about a situation that I went through a year ago. I run a Drama Club at a local school. We were down to the last 2 rehearsals and one young man was repeatedly missing and always with an excuse that was lacking. I couldn't replace him at the last second. Everyone in the club knows that dress rehearsals are mandatory unless you have prior permission to be gone. This young man didn't show up…AGAIN. He was truly ruining the show and I was beyond angry. I let the anger well up and I threw a script down on a platform. Wouldn't you know, it ricocheted off the edge of the platform and hit another student in the face causing her to swell up and have a small cut. I felt horrible and my heart just sank. I apologized profusely to her and her mother and thankfully she was more than forgiving. However, my lack of self-control in that moment hurt someone else even inadvertently. I wasn't aiming for her – but she got hurt. I tell you, that moment is forever in the forefront of my brain so that I NEVER lose control again. I have learned to walk away and cool down because even when we mean well and don't want to hurt anyone – our actions or words can. God truly had me sit and pray for this other girl on the other team.
Small things that we do and say can ruin our witness for a lifetime for someone else. People are watching and judging all the time and it only takes a moment to blow it.
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 says: ⁶So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.


If we live with the Holy Spirit inside, then self-control should be a place of peace. We ARE human and are going to have our moments where we lose control. We need to continue to keep our eyes on God and not on feeling justified in our actions. We need to own our shortcomings and ask God to fill the holes.
Where is God asking you to learn self-control? Whether it is with words or actions, God wants to be the driver in our lives and if we continue to lead the way, we will always fall short.