Try to be more flexible

“The wisdom from above is…willing to yield to others.” Jas 3:17 NLT

Flexible people are happy people. They experience a lot less stress than the rigid types who insist on things always being done a certain way. One of the reasons inflexibility is so stressful is that we have to achieve our goals through thinking human beings who often have their own ideas, ideas different from ours. If you’re not the type who is receptive to new ways of doing things because you view them as a personal rejection of your own ideas, ask Jesus the Great Physician to perform some corrective surgery on you. The Pharisees were the epitome of perfectionism and inflexibility. When they accused Jesus of not keeping the Sabbath, He said, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27 NLT). Question: How flexible are you? Are you so specific at home that your family stays on edge for fear of violating one of your endless preferences? Must the towels always be folded in a certain way? If plans need to be changed, does it send you into a tailspin or do you stop and consider that God may have a different plan? Don’t try to justify your behavior by hiding under the cloak of “excellence.” Yes, you would like to see things done in the best manner possible; however, seek to understand when your behavior leaves the realm of being excellent and begins to border on being an inflexible perfectionist who not only creates stress for yourself but for others as well. The word for you today is—relax. Bend a little. Try going with the flow.

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