Here is my response to the “Slap Heard ‘Round the World.” I did not watch the Oscars last week, but I heard quickly about the incident in which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in response to a joke at the expense of Will’s wife. As I write, the backlash at Will is so severe that he has repeatedly apologized and resigned his membership in the Academy that awards the Oscars.

From a Jesus-following perspective, this throws light on the need to seek the Holy Spirit’s fruit of self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). When our emotions swell and yell to us “Do something — anything!” we need the gift of self-control, which is really Spirit-control.

Will Smith woke up Monday morning and seemingly regretted his actions Sunday night. My desire is that when I reflect back on the previous day, I don’t see anything that I need to undue.

Our emotions often tell us that they are the most important part of our life, and that we must respond to them. God’s Spirit says “I can give you a life of control, joy and peace” if you surrender to Me instead of your feelings.

Here’s to the call to do just that: surrender to the Holy Spirit so that our actions reflect God’s values rather than our unpredictable emotions.