We over-react
when we use more emotion in our response than is necessary. The issue does not
warrant the intensity of our reaction, but we over react for many reasons.
An
over-reaction may be due to emotions in our subconscious, which are connected
to unresolved issues in our past. Satan planted a lie in past trauma, and these
lies fuel our current reactions.
For
instance, our mate's behavior reminds us of the behavior we experienced with
someone else in former times. Our soul combines the pain we felt back then with
the pain we feel in the moment, and the vehemence is overwhelming both to us
and the person receiving our wrath.
God wants
to help us to resolve these previous issues by discovering Satan's lies and
hearing God's Truth. This negates the power of the lies, and the intensity of
our over-reaction because of them. Once the past pain is gone, it no longer
intensifies our emotions in the current moment (www.theophostic.com).
Another
reason for over-reacting is that we make assumptions and react before getting
all of the facts. For instance, our mate is late…again. We assume there is an
affair and we blast him with the anger fueled by our devastation.
The remedy
for over-reacting due to misconceptions is to gain all of the facts before we
react. Calmly sit the person down and ask them to explain their behavior. When
we see their actions from their point of view, we may realize Satan planted
another lie, which caused our assumption.
Another
reason for over-reactions is that many people refrain from nagging by
swallowing irritations or slights each time they occur. We think they are gone,
but they are actually stored in our subconscious mind. They pile higher and
deeper until one final trespass triggers a violent over-reaction.
The person
who prompted this response from us looks at us as if we have two heads. They
cannot understand why some insignificant occurrence would cause us to
over-react so emotionally and sometimes violently.
The remedy
for this is to ask God to reveal the reason every time their behavior irritates
us or hurts our feelings. Is there an idol in our life, which we must lay at
Jesus' feet? Do we have preconceived notions, for which we need clarification? Is
there a misunderstanding that needs an explanation?
Once we
discover whether the problem is in their behavior or our perception, we are
free to discuss it with them quietly and calmly. We no longer allow issues to
build up within our soul.
We may
need to request that the person change their behavior. If they try to change and
fail, we can give them more opportunities to change their habitual conduct.
We would
want them to give us more chances as well. However, we may need to set
boundaries until a resolution is found.
Another
cause for irritation is that we fail to make sure the person paid attention to
us when we made a request. They have to focus on our words and hear and
understand what we are actually saying.
Otherwise,
they may think they are fulfilling our request, only to find out they only paid
attention to half of what we said. Or maybe they were focusing on something
else and not paying attention to us at all or they have "selective"
hearing.
We can
rectify this issue by asking the person to repeat what we just said. Then, we
can ask them when they think we can expect our request to be fulfilled. We can
make sure that they take us seriously and do not discount our request to have
our needs met.
Another
reason that we over-react is that we misunderstand what is said. For instance,
Sally made the statement to Mary that she was faithful in attendance to Bible
study. Mary thought Sally said that she was thankful that Mary missed
attendance at Bible study. Mary was offended for no reason, because she simply
misunderstood a word that sounded similar, but had a very different meaning.
Over-reactions
are sudden bursts of passionate emotions, which end as quickly as they erupt;
however, like a volcano, they leave behind deep scars that ruin the composition
of the relationship.
Prayer:
Father
God, human communication is one of the hardest feats we must accomplish in our
lifetime. We all speak and hear from prejudices, which interpret what is said
from our own paradigm.
That is
why You inspired James to tell us to be "quick to hear,
slow to speak and slow to anger" (James 1:19). We
must listen with twice as much attention, so that we do not react with anger,
or trigger an angry reaction in someone else.
Thank
You for helping us to face the pain of our past and to hear Your Truth about
Satan's lies, so that each issue resolves and never hurts us again. Thank You
for teaching us not to take one another for granted, to turn off the TV or
computer, or to put down our book, phone, game controller, etc and pay complete
attention to one another when we communicate our feelings or needs. Thank You
for reminding us to communicate with You during each moment of our day.
Thoughts
for the Day:
At times,
wounds caused by an over-reaction may never heal, and friends or mates part
company; when instead, one of these simple resolutions could put out the fire
at the very core of the issue.
