Fish Stories: Jonah’s Anger – Thursday
Song of Solomon 2:15
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines. (NKJV)
Life’s “little issues” can irritate us over time: traffic on our daily commute, bad habits of loved ones, and co-workers who don’t try to understand our viewpoint. Such things can be frustrating when not dealt with maturely. Some of us will feel angry, and others will be very angry. Angry outbursts can be devastating and have lasting repercussions. Cooling off before our blood begins to boil can spare us from many humiliating experiences.
In Numbers 20, God told Moses to speak to a rock, and water would gush out to quench the thirst of the Israelites wandering in the desert. Moses was fed up with their complaining, so he angrily beat the rock with his staff. God was displeased with his temper tantrum, and because of his angry outburst, God said to him, “Moe, because of your temper tantrum, you won’t be entering the Promised Land with your people.” By the way, this was hardly Moses’ first “anger” rodeo.
Nevertheless, God used Moses powerfully, but majoring in minors is likely to wound us and usually leave a scar. There are no suggestion boxes in Heaven. If God tells us to do something, we’d be wise to obey. Unchecked anger is always dangerous. In fact, put a “d” in front of the word “anger,” and it becomes menacing. We must learn to see everything, overlook a lot, and correct a little. It’s a good recipe for self-control. It was the apostle Paul who said, “Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). Some would say, “Nah, that’s just a sign of weakness,” but in reality, it’s just being like Jesus.
Tony Campolo said that he watched the newsreel of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers going across the bridge to Selma. He said, “The cameras zoomed in on National Guardsmen and the police, armed with their helmets, clubs, and guns. Who would win? King and his followers stopped on the bridge and knelt to pray. That’s when the authorities pulled out their clubs and started spilling blood. “I knew when I saw that,” he said, “that MLK had won.”
Thursday’s Reflection
The reason King won is simple: Sometimes, it takes more strength not to retaliate. Some things in life are “cancer,” other things are “measles.” Here’s something you should know: Most of it is measles. Remember Jesus on the Cross? He refused to relent or get even, and His refusal saved the world. Think about that the next time you’re mad, especially with regard to little things that, in the grand scheme of things, are ridiculously trivial.
