Angry
I probably deal with being angry every day or so. There are things that just don’t go the way I want them to go. For example, the car in front of me is driving way below the speed limit. I have lots of examples dealing with other people’s driving skills. JI also get frustrated with people who are incompetent. I’m using the word “frustrated” to soften the verbiage. My frustration is probably a synonym of “angry”. I also get angry at lazy people, they often depend on the hard-working people to provide for them.
When I was a much younger man, I wasn’t shy about showing my anger. The older I get, the more value I see in holding my anger back and resolve to let stuff go that frustrates me. Please don’t think that I’ve figured this out because I haven’t. I was told recently that my anger/frustration shows clearly on my face. I was a bit shocked. I was also told that when I’m passionate about a certain subject that the volume of my voice goes up a few decibels. (My wife has told me this before too, but I didn’t really believe her.) I had a very short fuse in my younger days, but I’m learning to pick my issues very carefully.
King Solomon was a wise man. He speaks of dealing with anger and the results of it. Check this out….
11 Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.
20 There is more hope for a fool
than for someone who speaks without thinking.
22 An angry person starts fights;
a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin.
23 Pride ends in humiliation,
while humility brings honor.(Proverbs 29:11,20,22-23 NLT)
My mom used to tell me to “count to ten” when I was angry. The working theory there is, by the time I get to ten, I’m much calmer. That never did work well for me. I can count to ten pretty quickly and still be boiling man. I’ve started some new practices: go for a short walk, get quiet and pray for wisdom and discernment in that very moment. I’ve also learned to slow down my speech and ask questions. If my emotions are in charge of my speech, it can be ugly and hateful. If I can get my heart back in charge, my speech is laced with grace and kindness. All of this is much easier said than done. I recently read a good book called: “When People Are BIG and God is small” by Ed Welchand the premise of the book can certainly be the source of anger and fighting. As a Christ-follower, if I can see others through the lens of the Lord, I can be more patient and kind to the people who tick me off by their actions or attitude. This takes work on my heart daily, but it can certainly keep the emotion of anger in check and feed the emotions of love and grace.
Pressing On!
Dwayne