Drama

Boys fighting with each other over possessions, girls gossipping behind closed doors, people talking trash about each other, women stealing another woman's boyfriend, men dumping their girlfriends for something more attractive. Sound like your local high school or workplace? It sure does! Yet all these examples of drama were taken right out of the The Bible!

There is a lot of drama in this world. There is drama EVERYWHERE!! I'm not talking about what we see on the stage or the screen, although there is plenty of drama there too. No, I'm talking about our daily lives. There is drama when we wake up in the morning, drama when we get to work or to school, and there's drama when we hang out with our friends at night. Drama, drama, drama!! Isn't there anything we can do about it?

I was reading my Bible recently when I came across a book that was filled with good advice about how to combat drama in our daily lives. Check it out!

1. Be grateful in your struggles - "2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." - James 1:2-4
2. Learn from your experiences - "5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." - James 1:5
3. Avoid temptation - "13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed." - James 1: 13-14
4. Listen before speaking - "19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." - James 1:19-20
5. Get rid of the bad - "21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." - James 1:21
6. Live like you'd like to be treated - "22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." - James 1:22
7. Treat everyone the same - "My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism." - James 2:1
8. Love everyone - "8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right." - James 2:8
9. Speak only encouraging things - "7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." - James 3:7-8
10. Don't brag about yourself - "14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." - James 3:14-16
11. Be content with what you have - "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight." - James 4:1-2
12. Never think you are better than anyone else. - "6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." - James 4:6
13. Don't bad-mouth anyone - "11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it." - James 4:11
14. Always be helpful - "17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them." - James 4:17
15. Don't complain - "9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!" - James 5:9
16. Be patient with others - "10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered." - James 5:10-11
17. Always be truthful and keep your word - "12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned." - James 5:12
18. Have compassion for others - "19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." - James 5:19-20

Wow! That's quite a list! Here's a question for you. How would it be with no "drama" in our lives? Hmm. Pretty nice I'm thinkin'. Hey, if these things work, if we tried them out for a few days would it be worth it? Would people actually notice a change in us? Would we suddenly find ourselves with more friends than we did before? Simply by honoring God? It's worth a try! Be courageous! Listen to the sound of God's voice. You will be blessed! :)

The Sound of Your Voice by Third Day