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“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” James 1:19 (NLT)

 For years, I facilitated anger management courses. I tell people that I kept leading these courses because I constantly needed reminders about how to control my own anger. I was only half kidding. Or, maybe I wasn’t kidding at all. As a Christian woman, it is difficult to accept the fact that my patience is easily tested. I find myself becoming frustrated and turning into a person I don’t like…forgetting all about my goal of trying to be like Christ in those (all-too-frequent) moments. So I’m not punching walls or breaking plates, but I am still filled with this (at times overwhelming) emotion even when the situation does not warrant the intensity of what I am feeling. Working in the mental health field, I have learned that there are many reasons for anger. Yet, most of the time people don’t come for anger management because of righteous indignation (you know, the kind that Jesus had). Instead, they came because they did not get what they wanted when they wanted it. And, I am talking small stuff (over bread being crushed at the grocery store, the customer service rep getting an attitude, someone taking “your” parking space…). Ladies, is this you? It has certainly been me at times. While clearly not all anger is bad, the Bible reminds us to be slow to get angry. S-L-O-W. We must slow our thinking down and our emotions down and our behaviors down.

“Dear Lord, thank You for creating me with all kinds of emotions, including anger. Please help me to heed Your words to be slow to anger.”

  For His Glory

 Laurel Shaler (www.drlaurelshaler.com)
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