PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — Hey, Y’all. This past week has been a lot. We have watched a war in the Middle East unfold before our very eyes. I’ve watched and read news reports in the past few days that describe how the violence that is so far away from us is triggering anxiety and anger here at home. I wish I had a magic solution for that. But I don’t.

What I do know, from my studies on human nature, is that behind almost every conflict is anger. Whether the conflict is between countries or between families, an element of anger almost always comes into play.

Anger is a common human emotion. We are told in the books of Psalms and Ephesians, “In your anger, do not sin.” God knows we will become angry. He wants us to be careful with how we handle it.

There’s been a lot of talk this week about praying for peace in the Middle East. But, as we watch this play out in the coming days, let’s not only pray for peace in the Middle East. Let’s take active steps to be a peacemaker here at home. Let’s work to defuse hot situations around us, speak words that uplift instead of tear down, words that heal instead of hurt. Let’s work to bring the calm and BE the calm in the battles of our daily lives.

You and I might not be able to bring peace to the Middle East, but we can pray for it. And, if we are thoughtful, intentional, and prayerful, we might be able to bring peace into our own situations. And that might equip us to handle the hard times, and the hard news. And that’s your Minute with Drexel.