THINK TOGETHER.
Do you know anyone that’s cool? What makes them cool?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 17:27. Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Do you have a cool spirit?
You might be wondering what that even means. Cool spirited is the opposite of hot tempered. Solomon says that the cool person has understanding. Or we might say it backwards like this: When you understand people you are able to stay cool.
Often we get mad at others, and yell and scream at them, because we don’t really understand what they’re going through. We don’t try to understand their situation, not to mention their thoughts and feelings. But the more we understand others, the less we feel like we have to get mad at them. Instead we can show sympathy toward them. Do you know what sympathy is? Sympathy is trying to understand how someone else feels.
Yelling at others to make a point, or putting someone in their place, or always having to have the last word can feel like the right thing to do, but it is actually just our pride talking. It is foolish and sinful. Wisdom and love stay cool. They listen to understand. They ask questions instead of yelling.
Will we always stay cool? Nope. Sometimes we will lose our temper or yell too much. But when we do, Jesus has forgiven us and wants to help us trust in him and his love so that it can keep us cool inside and outside.
Because of Jesus our pride can be replaced with understanding.
With Jesus we can stay cool inside.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Practice understanding each other. Do a google search of “table talk questions for families” that you can ask each other. Make sure you are trying to learn about others instead of just trying to think about your own answers.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, help me to understand others so that I can be cool and kind even when they aren’t nice to me. Amen.
TLICfamily 