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Most of us aren’t in control of how we feel about – well – pretty much anything.

Our feelings just sort of happen.

That’s why the Church makes no moral judgments about feelings.

What you and I are in control of is what we do with our feelings.

How we respond to the way something makes us feel? That is something we can control – if we choose to.

But most of us (myself included) get so caught up in reacting to how we feel that we don’t realize that we even have a choice.

We let our feelings push us around. And how we respond? Just sort of happens.

Which means that our responses are all over the place.

Sometimes they’re a disaster. And even when they don’t make things worse, they’re almost always not as good as they could have been.

And that’s a stark contrast to what we see in today’s Gospel.

The Pharisees and Herodians are asking Jesus loaded questions like, “is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

They’re trying to set Jesus up, to either lose His support among the Jews. Or to have Rome put a price on His head.

What Jesus does next is a master class in how to respond.

Not that what they’re doing doesn’t impact Jesus. You can tell that it’s getting to Him. Jesus even lets it slip saying, “Why are you testing me?”

But instead of going off on them. Instead of letting His feelings dictate His reaction, Jesus breaks the momentum.

Jesus pauses, steps back from the moment, seeks God’s perspective.

Then responds from a place of peace and power – with a question to His questioners.

And when they answer His question, He shuts them down with His response.

That’s the formula.

Instead of letting our feelings dictate our reaction, break the momentum.

Pause, step back from the moment, seek God’s perspective.

Give the Holy Spirit a chance to clear out the clutter of our unthinking reactions.

Then choose to respond from a place of peace and power.

It’s something that God will help any of us to do.

All we have to do is choose.

-Give thanks, pray, set intentions for the day.

-Exercise, move my body