Chill Out

"Bri, I love your new pet! He is so soft and sweet!" Ella stroked her friend's chinchilla, Herman. "A chinchilla's soft fur is one reason why they're such popular pets," said Bri. "They're native to the Andes mountains in Chile where it gets really cold." "Remember two years ago when you kept telling everyone you wanted a porcupine for a pet?" Ella could not contain her giggles. Bri shook her head. "What was I thinking? Chinchillas and porcupines are related, but porcupines are so prickly they don't make good pets." Bri handed Herman a seed and watched him nibble on it while holding it tightly in his tiny front paws. There was a strange sound on the other side of Bri's closed door. "Ella, I think our brothers are up to something," Bri whispered. "Remember what we did to them last time? Evan said they'd get us back."When Bri opened her door, she shrieked in anger. There was so much duct tape she could hardly see through to the hallway. "Mooooom!" Bri yelled over the boys laughing."That's what you get for starting this war," Evan taunted. "Evan, I'm going to destroy you!" Bri roared. "What is going on?" Mom appeared on the other side of the tape. "Boys, please take this down."After the boys removed the tape, Mom sent Ella to get a snack and came into Bri's room. "Bri, I know you were upset, but I could hear you hollering from outside. You need to chill out." "Mom, I can't! The boys made me so angry!" "I know, and I'm going to have a talk with them. But you can control how you respond when people do things that make you angry. Remember Proverbs 15:1?" "A soft answer turns away wrath," Bri muttered. "Herman's fur is the definition of soft," Mom observed as she stroked the chinchilla. "And it's a soft answer that stops fights and heals relationships. Mean, angry words just make things worse. As Christians, we can rely on God's Spirit to help us respond with love and speak softly, even when we feel angry.""Okay, Mom, I get it. I need to trust God to help me be chill when I want to be pokey." Bri grinned. "Did you know one of the chinchilla's relatives is a porcupine?"Mom laughed. "Now I do! Choose to be a chinchilla, girl!"- Savannah Coleman