Fish Stories: Jonah’s Anger – Monday
Jonah 4:1
Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. (MSG)
As we learned in Sunday’s message, Jonah was hotheaded. At least four times, we find him angry. Once, he said, “I’m angry enough to die.” (Jonah 4:3). He was angry because God loved the people Jonah hated (the Ninevites). God told Jonah to go preach to them, and he said, “No way,” then headed West for Tarshish, which, in those days, was as far away from Nineveh as one could get (almost 2000 miles). You know the story about the long “whale ride” back ending with him being vomited up on a Nineveh beach. God always manages to get us to do what He asks us to do, and yes, sometimes it’s painful.
This week, we’re using Jonah as exhibit #1 to discuss anger. Join us daily as we examine various facets of anger. Some of what I say might make you mad. I understand; I’ve been there more often than you can imagine. But friends, we're in this together, so let’s grow on toward self-discovery and improvement.
Here are some interesting facts about anger: Men get angry, on average, six times weekly. Women? Three times. Men get angry about situations or events. Women? At people. Single adults express anger twice as often as married ones. Men are more physical with their anger than women, and both are more likely to express outrage at home than elsewhere.
Alexander the Great, in a fit of rage, struck and killed one of his soldiers. Later, he cried, “I’ve conquered the world, but I can’t even conquer my own soul.” Have you ever felt that way? Hey, me too. Solomon said, “A hot-tempered man starts fights and gets into all kinds of trouble” (Pro. 29:22). Been there? Proverbs 15:18 says, “Hot tempers cause arguments.” Proverbs 14:29 says, “Anger causes mistakes.”
Will Rogers said, “People who fly into a rage seldom make a good landing.” It’s true; I’ve got the scars to prove it. I’m betting that some of you do as well. I’ll share more about that this week, and I’d be honored to have you along for the ride. Deal?
Monday’s Reflection
I’ll conclude with an admonition to parents. James Dobson asked 9-12-year-olds, “What do you most like and dislike about your parents?” He said that answers to the first question varied, but the predominant answer to the second question was, “I don’t like it when they yell at me. I can’t stand the screaming.” In the short term, it works, but In the long term, it’s devastating. I know. I grew up in a screaming home. Seventy years later, I’m still recovering. Here’s an article worth your time.
