Work Out Your Own Salvation

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV).

We want things handed to us with little effort. We want it easy, but hardly anything that we can call our own comes easy. 

There will always be things in life that challenge what we believe. These circumstances often are outside our own control, but we do control how we react. 

The older I've become, the more I realize the importance of being slow to react. I'm not saying I've learned exactly how to not overreact, but I know now how important it is to be slower in reacting to what people say and do to me, or what I think they're saying and doing to me. I still frustrate myself by overreacting. And each and every time I hope and pray that I've learned the important lesson.