24 hours.

Have you ever said something to another person, and immediately regretted it?
Wished you could take back the words that you spoke?
Desperate for a do-over that would keep your mouth shut?
Thought about the difference another route would have taken?

I know that it's easy to want to give a response right away... to give back hurtful words when we feel hurt... to give a sting when we feel stung... to stab the knife when we feel betrayed.

When our hearts are settled, it's easy to tell ourselves to stay calm in the midst of struggle, but being in those situations revs us up and we are on the defensive. We want to hurt others because we think it will make us feel better. But even those nanoseconds of good don't make up for the sinking feeling that we have afterward.... when we feel guilt for overreacting, when we feel shame for blowing up... when we feel sad for hurting another.

So often, when we reflect on these occasions, we realize that we acted in the moment. When our tempers were flaring. When our minds were racing. We didn't act out of whole thought, without impulse, because our thoughts and feeling were on target. Imagine what would happen if we waited... if we sat with our feelings a bit. I wonder if we would have more peace with ourselves and in relationships with others. Would we realize that we're all flawed, that we all need grace, that it's not worth getting worked up over?