One Tip to Help You Keep Your Cool When Things Heat Up

Is every conversation you have with your family members or co-workers perfectly calm, controlled and pleasant? (I know, I know, you’re laughing!)

Close up drinking water with ice in glass on wooden table.

Married women: ever had one of those conversations with your husband where you get heated, he gets heated and then…bang! A full-blown fight explodes.

Moms: ever had one of those conversations with your teenager where you get heated, she gets heated and then…bang! A full-blown fight explodes?

Working women: ever had one of those conversations with your co-worker where you get heated, she gets heated and then… bang! Hopefully a full-blown fight doesn’t explode, but inside, are you an inferno?

None of us want that in our relationships.  So, what can you do to prevent it or break the “heat, heat, bang, explode” pattern?

Pour a glass of water.

Here’s what I mean.  Hold a full glass of water so you can hold a full conversation without things getting out of hand.

If you’re a potential over-reactor or nuclear reactor when it comes to conflict, to keep yourself from flying off the handle, hold a full glass of water as you talk about your issue.

If you start to become a volcano right before it erupts,  you’ll get that little tremor inside, your body will flinch and the water will spill. You get it, right? If  you don’t want water to spill, you’ve got to  stay steady and calm. This is a good way to tiptoe through the minefield if you’re explosive or the person you’re talking to is.

Hold a glass of water so you can hold a calm conversation. [Click to Tweet]
You don’t even have to tell them what you’re doing. Just fill your glass. Offer them some and fill it to the brim too!

Then, hold your glasses and hold a conversation.

If the water remains in the glass, most likely your temper has remained in control.  If it spills out on to your hand, it will be a quick reminder that you want to remain calm and steady.

Okay, okay. I admit that I know this because I can get a little sparky sometimes! This has helped me stay calm and aware when my feelings are starting to run off without my brain.  And, no… I know some of you are thinking, “yeah, and if it just doesn’t work, I can baptize the knucklehead!”  Down sparky!

We can all get a little sparky sometimes. [Click to Tweet]
A full glass of water is a great picture too of what is inside us. Think about it; when we get jostled, what is inside us is what spills out. So, if we burst out in anger, resentment, or bitterness, it’s because that junk is inside us. If forgiveness spills out of us when we are jostled, then mercy and grace are in us.
When we get jostled, what is inside us is what spills out. [Click to Tweet]
Fill a glass of water and ask God to fill you with the cleansing, healing water of His Spirit. Just think, if you hold a full conversation with a full glass of water, then you both can enjoy a nice cool drink together when you’re done!  The only, “heat, bang  explosion” you’ll experience will be on the Fourth of July!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

In the comments, let us know if you have any good ideas for dealing with conflict.

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