1
Corinthians 13:4-8a
I
remember the day she made a sweeping movement with her arm across my desk. My calendar, my paperclips, my pencils and
pens, my documents and papers all went flying off onto the floor.
She
wasn’t happy.
In
a fit of anger, over the individual I was speaking with on the other end of the
phone, my boss was hostile…so easily provoked.
The
ball was in my court.
What
was my next move?
Allowing
the love of Christ to radiate and by exercising self-control, by the power of
the Holy Spirit, I calmly finished my portion of the phone call and handed the
receiver over to her as she grabbed it out of my hand. Quietly, I picked up the mess moved by the
tornado that had moved through my office space only minutes earlier.
Silently,
I began to pray.
This
is such a perfect example of one’s perspective being clouded in the moment and
allowing a razor-sharp temper to rule.
Surely she wasn’t following Ephesians 4:26 (NLT) that tells us, “don’t
sin by letting anger control you.”
No
one is immune to the temptation of being provoked, irritated, or angered. Although, the Bible allows for righteous
anger, I would submit to you that too many people either misunderstand and/or
misuse this as a justification of their own bursts of enrage.
This
type of love doesn’t quickly take offense, no matter if we are tired or have our
personal rights taken away. This love
doesn’t easily react out of frustration nor is it resentful. James 1:19 says we should be slow to anger and
continues in verse 20 to say, “For
the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (NASB).
Below
are 4 steps that can help us to minimize our reacting in the flesh:
1. Pray
Ask for God’s help. It is important not to suppress, tuck away,
or internalize the things that bother us.
By honestly confessing our shortcomings to our Father and soliciting His
help we are more apt to let the fire die out. Journal your thoughts, areas of weakness, and
key learnings.
2.
Exercise self-control
We have the power. Think about a time where you were involved in
an argument with a close family member when all of a sudden the telephone
rang. No doubt you answered it in a
happy and jovial manner. See how easy it
was to “turn off” the anger when we want to?
3. Retrain
your mind
The way we think helps determine the way we feel. Read and apply Romans 12:2. As we transform our minds, we re-calibrate
our thinking to line up more like God.
4. Associate with like minds
We
need to surround ourselves with people who are a positive influence. Many times I have used the example of a white
glove (representing the believer) and the dirt (representing the world). If we take a white glove and rub it in the
dirt there is no way it will remain clean and white. No, the glove will absorb the dirt and in no
way will the dirt absorb the glove. Bad
company corrupts good morals. (1 Corinthians 15:33).
Replace
your anger with His LOVE, peace, and power and you won’t be provoked.
Forever
His,
Anita
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