Fish Stories: Jonah’s Anger – Tuesday
James 1:19
You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (NLT)
Back in the dark ages, when I was a kid, we played kickball and baseball in the street. Often, a ball would end up in a neighbor’s yard, and we’d retrieve it and play on. In those days, folks frequently sat on their front porch and watched us play. They’d even fetch an errant ball for us. But not Mr. Kauffman. If a ball landed in his well-manicured yard, he’d come off the porch faster than a speeding bullet, snatch it up, and refuse to return it. “If you want it back,” he’d yell, “Have your parents come get it.”
Everybody hated Mr. Kauffman. He was mean. He argued with everyone about everything; he seemed incorrigible. We moved when I was in fifth grade, and I remember how great it was to have newer, nicer neighbors. Do you have a Mr. Kauffman in your life? Better yet, are you one? Why?
Proverbs 29:11 says: “A rebel (fool) shouts in anger; a wise man holds his temper in and cools it.”
Circle those words “cools it.” Who knew “cool” was a Biblical word? Solomon was saying, “If you’re a hothead, chill.” I don’t know about you, but I’m often sorry for what I said but rarely sorry for what I didn’t say. Here’s the principle: Refrain, don’t react. The oldtimers used to say, “When angry, count to ten; when very angry, count to 100.” The idea is that the more we control our temper, the more it improves. Anything we can do to delay or defer our anger is usually constructive.
“Doesn’t work for me,” some say. “When I get angry, I just blow up!” May I ask a question? If someone made you extremely angry and I was a bystander and said, “I’ll give you $1000 right now if you don’t blow up.” Would you blow up? Probably not! You’d take the money and run. The point is that we can control our anger with the right motivation because anger is a choice. I once heard a husband and wife yelling at each other when her cell phone rang. She answered it and immediately said, “Helloooo!” in a syrupy sweet voice. There ya’ go! Control.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Dear one, not everything is life or death. Not everything demands an answer or a comeback. As Solomon said, “Chill.” You can do it if you don’t tell yourself you can’t. We can change. It might take a while (it took me five years!), but it’s a winnable war. Check out this book and this verse. Both helped me a lot.
