21 Sep, 2009
Stars Lose Control!
NEW YORK (Reuters) - "All hell broke loose" is how original bad boy of tennis John McEnroe described drama queen Serena Williams as she went kicking and screaming out of the U.S. Open on Saturday.
Williams has made a cameo appearance in medical drama ER and lists acting as a hobby but she does not need to rely on a script to produce her own drama. On Day 13 of the hardcourt major, wide-eyed fans at Flushing Meadows witnessed the latest episode to unfold around the 11-times grand slam champion.
Facing Kim Clijsters in a hotly anticipated semi-final showdown at the Open, an angry outburst from Williams resulted in one of the most bizarre endings to a match on a grand slam stage. With the Belgian on the brink of victory, defending champion Williams was called for a foot-fault on a second serve to go match point down. Astounded by the verdict, Williams immediately saw red and threateningly marched up to the official. She waved her racket ominously and thrust the ball into the lineswoman's face as she launched into a tirade.
"I swear to God I'm... going to take this... ball and shove it down your... throat, you hear that? I swear to God," Williams told the line-judge.
In a related story Kanye West was loudly booed when he leaped on stage and grabbed the microphone from Swift as she was accepting the statuette for best female pop video for "You Belong With Me."
He declared it should have gone to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video, which he called "one of the best videos of all time." Swift stood in the background, her face frozen. After West handed her the microphone, she attempted to say something, but the sound had been cut off and she was escorted off by a stage manager.
The outburst on the live telecast was seen by some 27 million viewers -- the largest TV audience since 2002 for the annual MTV Video Music Awards, MTV said on Monday. Video of the incident was seen by some 2 million times on the MTV.com web site alone.
Stories and photos taken from: http://www.reuters.com
Proverbs 14:17 (NIV)
A quick-tempered man does foolish things,
and a crafty man is hated.
Proverbs 14:29 (NIV)
A patient man has great understanding,
but a quick-tempered man displays folly.
React or Respond?
Do you know the difference between reacting and responding? Knowing the difference can lead to vastly different outcomes in our interactions with others.
When we "react" to others we let our emotions take control and say and do things that we might regret later. We are not unlike a chemical reaction in that we often explode leaving a mess to whatever comes near us.
Serena Williams and Kanye West are perfect examples of what it looks like to react when the circumstances around us are not favorable. They let their emotions get the better of them and now have to deal with those they have offended and the perceptions around them. We can all relate to them at one time or another. We are lucky that most of the time our actions are not viewed by the rest of the world.
As the Scriptures above tell us, having a quick temper is of little value in God's Kingdom.
Responding to others looks much different than reacting. Responding involves us dealing with our emotions when we are upset and internally giving them to God. We then can think about better ways to display our frustration without looking foolish and hurting others in the process.
Learning to respond rather than react is a lifetime discipline that requires us to daily sacrifice our own expectations and desires to those of God's. And as we do this more frequently we will find that responding to others instead of reacting leaves everyone in a much better place in the end.
- In what ways have you reacted to others this week instead of responding to them? How did everyone feel after the reaction?
- Pray that God would allow you to "pause and reflect" before reacting to stressful situations. Slowly counting to 10 in your mind may be a practical tool to allow you to focus on God and a more healthy response.
- Think about some people in your life that you tend to react instead of respond to. Think of some better responses ahead of time that might keep your interactions more healthy. For instance, if someone constantly badgers you and calls you names, don't lash out and call them names back. You might say something like, "I don't appreciate it when you call me that" or "friends don't treat each other like this." Think of some other comments that might help you avoid and emotional reaction.
- If you have reacted to others out of anger, ask their forgiveness. Your friends and family often will be surprised by your humility and maturity. Even if they don't respond positively, you can have peace from God that you are doing the right thing.
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