Steve was eleven years old, and his brother Tim was seven.

Both of
them went to the same school, and both of them liked sports and
games very much. They also like fighting, but their mother wasn't
happy when they fight with other boys. A few days ago, Tim ran into
the house and went up to his bedroom. Steve was there too,
listening to their record player. He looked up when Tim came in and
said, "Why are you crying, Tim?" "Because Harry hit me," his
younger brother said. Harry was one of the boys in school, and they
often had fights with each other. Steve laughed and said, "Did you
hit him back, or did you cry like baby and run home to mommy?" "I
hit him back!" Tim answered angrily. "I hit him back, and then he
hit me."

Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approaching

long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spots and will
wait for the wind to come. When the storm hits the land, it will set
its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm.
While the storm rages below, the eagle soars above it. The eagle
does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher.
It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

Similarly, when the storms of life set in—and certainly, everyone do

experience them—what a better way to rise above them than by
committing our minds and our beliefs toward God. No storms will
be too great if we allow God's power to lift us above them. God
enables us to ride the winds of the storm, which bring sickness,
tragedy, failure, and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above
the storm.

A reaction and a response may seem exactly alike, but they are
different. Reactions are instant. They are immediate actions or
retorts that a person makes without considering their effects.
Responses. on the other hand, usually come more slowly. They are
actions or replies that a person makes after taking into
consideration all the knowledge he or she has, the well-being of
oneself or someone else, or the possible effects of the actions or
replies themselves. To illustrate the distinction, Imagine two
outcomes of one event. A girl accidentally steps on a boy's foot. For
the first outcome, the boy Immediately shouts out In pain. He could
even be angry at the girl. Those are reactions. The boy reacted right
after the Incident. For the second outcome, the boy checks his foot
to see if he had got any serious injuries. He might even ask the girl
If she meant It or not. He could also reassure the girl that he was
really hurt. The boy controls his emotions to express his thoughts
better. Those are responses. The boy considers different facts first
before expressing himself. Reactions are not necessarily always bad.
Oftentimes, reactions cannot be helped. Sometimes even, they are
needed especially during emergencies. Responses are also not
always good. There may be times when responses are Inappropriate
even after taking many things into consideration. What matters is
that when giving reactions or responses, the intention remains
good.