Thoughtfully Respond or React?

When I walked up the stairs after nap time was over, I was faced head on with this...

and I had a choice as to how I was going to respond.

I could either react or get thoughtfully respond. 

Now, I will admit I was very upset but I was also suppressing my laughter. I chose to take a minute to cool off, put on my poker face (to hide the laughs), and grab my camera (since I didn't think Chris would believe the extent of this mess when he got home).
 
One of the things that I have been working on has been my speech. I have been working through a bible study on the Proverbs 31 woman. Here is how she would respond.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26

I want to thoughtfully respond to situations and not react to them. As I talked with Derek, I want to work through the situation with kind speech.

Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24

A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
(Proverbs 18:7)

When I asked Derek why he made this mess, he said "I was looking for my blue Thomas shirt". No joke. He cleaned out 2 dresser drawers, 1/2 his closet and took shoes out of the shoe pockets on his closet door just to find a blue Thomas shirt. The Thomas shirt in question was the one of the only shirts left in his shirts drawer, right on top.

Yes, the mind of a 3 year old can be exasperating at times but by not reacting to the situation diffuses the situation instead of escalating it.