Hey, Carpool Crew! Happy Monday, and welcome to week three of Proverbs for Your School Life. This whole week is about big feelings. And today we're talking about that moment at recess when the kickball game gets ugly... somebody calls you out when you were clearly safe, and your whole body wants to explode. I'm Pastor Justin, and before we jump in, let me give a big shout-out to Ryleigh, Jayce, and Maddie Rose out in Kentucky. Three of you riding together today, I love it. And this episode is all about what to do when your temper hits the top. We've all been there. Let's jump in with the one thing I want you to remember for the ride: keeping your cool is the strong move. Listen to this from Proverbs 16:32. "Patience is better than power, and controlling one's emotions, than capturing a city." In Solomon's day, capturing a city was the win armies got remembered for. Battering rams, walls coming down, stories told for years. And Solomon looks at all that muscle and says the kid who can hold his temper is stronger than all of them. Not the loudest kid. Not the kid who wins the argument. The kid who stays in control of himself when everything in him wants to blow. Losing your temper feels powerful for about four seconds. Then you look around at what it knocked over. Jesus said, learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart. The strongest person who ever lived was also the calmest one in the room. If Jesus were standing at the edge of that kickball field, He would say, "I saw the call. It wasn't fair. You don't have to explode to prove you're strong. Take a breath with Me. The strongest kid out here is the one still holding his temper." It's recess, bottom of the last inning. You slide into second, clearly safe, and a kid yells, "You're out!" Your face goes hot. Your hands ball up. The unfair of it is buzzing in your ears. Right there, with everybody watching, you've got two moves: erupt, or breathe. You take one slow breath and say, "Take the base. Let's just play." You still lose the base. It's still a bad call. But nobody remembers the call by Tuesday, and a couple of kids remember that you didn't lose it. So today, here's the one thing you could try. When your face goes hot, take one slow breath before you do anything. One breath. That's the whole move. And if you need words, borrow these: "I'm too mad to talk right now. Give me a minute." And yes, I have needed that line as a grown-up. Usually during family board games. We don't need to talk about which one. Hey, let's go back to that one thing I wanted you to remember for the ride. Keeping your cool is the strong move. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if this podcast helps your family, follow the show and check out Carpooling with Jesus+ for bonus weekend episodes like Goodnight Psalms and Questions from the Backseat. *(APPLE VERSION ONLY, add after the line above: "And if you're listening in Apple Podcasts, there's a yearly option, $34.99 for the whole thing. It works out to under three dollars a month, and you set it once and forget it.")* Hey, before you go, let's answer this question together. What makes your temper rise fastest, and what could one slow breath change tomorrow? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.
