Fish Stories: Jonah’s Anger – Friday
Proverbs 16:23
A wise man’s heart guards his mouth. (NCB)
We’ve talked this week about being angry; today, let’s consider responding to angry people. Occasionally, we’re all victims of someone else’s rage. Here are some suggestions to ponder:
Avoid sarcasm. George Bernard Shaw once sent a note to Churchill inviting him to come to one of his plays on opening night. He added sarcastically, “Bring a friend if you’ve got one.” Churchill responded, “I’m sorry, George, I can’t come on opening night, but I’ll come on the second night if there is one!” Both men were acting like children. Have you been there? Yeah, me too. We should stop.
Don’t play the “silence” game. The problem with the “silent treatment” is that we never know how well it’s working, so we play it indefinitely. It’s like a woman who shot and killed her husband with a bow and arrow so he wouldn’t wake the children. Somehow, we reason that silence is a kinder way to get even. It isn’t.
Don’t replay life’s many painful moments in your mind. Frederick Buechner said that savoring past grievances is, in many ways, like “...a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” Bitterness is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
Choose humility. Remember the TV show, “Happy Days?” (I’m showing my age)! In one scene, “The Fonz” is trying to admit he is wrong, which is tricky because his entire image is of being cool and having it all together. He just couldn’t get the words “I was wrong” out of his mouth. He repeatedly said, “I was wr…. I was wr…. then finally blurted out, “I was WRONG!” Do those three words ever get stuck in your throat? A lot of people go to their graves with broken relationships simply because they’re too proud to simply say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”
Live out your true identity. You’re a child of God. You’re not a mistake; you’re chosen, loved, and cherished eternally loved by a gracious Heavenly Father. Nothing in all the world can change that, including angry, annoying people. Rise up, friend! Walk out your true identity. Play to an audience of One. Never, ever settle for less.
Friday’s Reflection
Southland’s founding pastor, Wayne Smith, greatly influenced my life. Once, he told of a deacon who kept spouting off and hurting people and would then say, “Wayne, I just shoot from the hip. It’s who I am.” Wayne replied, “Well, you need to start shooting from the heart.” He was a wise man. I miss him. Follow his advice.
