It’s amazing how someone can make your day! Just the right word, some encouragement, a phone call, even a smile. People have such incredible power to shape our feelings and outlook on life.

“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

But of course, when you think about it, a single person can bring ruin to your mood. Sometimes it can be the same people!

Tossing and turning at night within my spirit. Completely agitated about the words or actions of someone who I decided was out to get me. Angry about what I wanted to say but knew I never would. Life gets out of control and I feel like I’m in a tornado of emotions.

We just learned about Cain and Abel this Sunday. That’s relational anger gone too far. Didn’t Jesus say something about hating someone being the same thing as murder?

I’m probably not going to murder anyone anytime soon, despite how mad I’m getting. But that anger and hatred sure can brew a nasty poison.

“Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime.” ― Mineko Iwasaki

Why so few in our lives that bring joy? We don’t spend enough time cultivating that part of the garden. How often do you share some happiness? I too often take it all for granted. There have been several disasters in life when others have shown up, taken me by the hand, and walked with me through the mess my life was in. Great role models for me to think about more often.

My five-year-old grandson pitches an open and loud rebellion when ordered to clean his catastrophic disaster of a room. But when I sit on the floor with him he is more than eager to team up, start talking a mile a minute, and get the job done. There’s a lesson for ME somewhere in that pile of toys. 

If you’ve got some wise people in your life, they will help the most by listening to you as you rant about the crimes against humanity the awful others have committed against you. Someone in your life will help you grasp what you can control and turn loose of and what you can’t. Having a safe friend to pour out all your mixed up emotions to is always good medicine. We need this sort of friend.

But please remember, as time passes, to also share the stories about the good guys along the path.

There’s a school of counseling that teaches “it’s not the situation that creates our feelings, it’s the way we think about the situation.”  Mostly, we can’t control situations or other people in our lives – but we can work on how we think about life.

I’m in a season of trying to right the boat of my own mood. Not let the situation or people determine how I’m going to travel through every day. It takes practice. I flip back into the cold water often. Mostly I try to keep my mouth shut, listen to the right music, take a long view and remember God’s track record.

Are you going to let someone keep ruining your day(s) OR will you figure out how to bring a little joy to someone else, right now? There’s always a better choice.