Tiny Devotional for R.E.D. Friday, 10/16/2020

 A great Good Morning! To all my friends and neighbors out there in Internet Land! And, for family members who found their way here, it’s R. E. D. Friday: Remember Everyone Deployed, and wear something RED today, if possible. 

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Proverbs 16:32, NASB

1/5 of my grandchildren, ruling their spirits

 I don’t recall ever wanting to rule a city. I did want to be mighty, though.

At first, it was just a physical revenge thing. If I was mighty, I could wreak my vengeance on the monsters who tormented me on the bus to school.

Later, I wanted to be a MIGHTY basketball player, win respect, and attract girls. 

In the Army, being mighty meant being of an exalted rank, that no longer required me to put up with the fault-finding of my sergeant. 

And, if my recollection is accurate, the last time I desired being mighty was when I was a pawn in a power struggle between my  supervisor and her boss. Office politics, you see; despicable stuff. 

Had I been slow to anger, I doubt I would have even noticed the last two grievances. And I found out later, through training and observing my children, that ruling my spirit would have taken care of the first two. (For example, if I had popped the bus bully in the nose, it would have ended the bullying, after a minor reprisal. Thanks, Jordan, for the lesson!)

I can’t believe how hard this Tiny Devotional was to get written. I had to discard two prior attempts, one of them an almost complete post. 

Peace be on your household. 

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