listen up

blogwire

podcasts

forum

I Lost It

 

“My dear brothers, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”  James 1:19-20

 

I was so angry.  But now, the anger wasn’t aimed at my friend, I was mad at myself.

 

Ten minutes before, Tony had embarrassed me in front of a girl.  He made me look awkward, but I made myself look stupid.  I blew up at him.  As I pushed him and called him a jerk in front of twenty of our friends, it was as if I was watching myself lose control, but I couldn’t reel it in.

 

My outburst lasted only for a few minutes, but I wrestled with my personal frustration for several hours.  Because we were on a youth group trip, I was unable to escape for any period of time, so I had to process what had happened without any solitude.  The more I thought about what had happened, I realized that Tony had not intended to frustrate me, he was just being himself.  He was being fun and playful.  The girls would not have thought anything about the things he said about me, but I was afraid I had left an impression that they would not quickly forget.

 

This episode with Tony was just one of the instances where my temper got the best of me.  I discovered many times that sticks and stones could not hurt me, but if I didn’t control my anger and rein in my tongue I could do real damage.

 

Can you relate?  Have you ever ruined a good relationship by verbally vomiting on someone?  Have you ever lost it over something so simple and innocent only to shift the focus from what had been done wrong to your lack of control?  Who have you hurt?  Friends?  Siblings?  Parents?

 

For some of us, the volatile state of our emotions can be a real source of confusion and frustration.  It is something that we must allow the Lord to help us overcome.

 

I know this may sound like a pipe dream to you, but there will come a day when your emotions will be more mature and your anger will be more under your control.  Don’t give up hope.  God is working in you.  He is shaping you and molding you into the man or woman that He created you to be.  That includes your emotional stability every bit as much as the physical things that you will do in life.  As you grow closer to Christ, you will become more like Him.

 

One of the ways that you can speed up the process is by praying intentionally into that area.  There is nothing wrong with asking God to curb your temper and to make you more peaceable.  That is a prayer that he loves to answer.


 

 

Do you have a thought about controlling your temper that you would like to share? Do you have a question about avoiding hurting others that you would like to see addressed in this weekly email?  If so, send your thoughts and/or questions to info@groundwire.net.

 

 

Want to talk to someone one-on-one?  The Groundwire coaches are available to talk with you.  Click the link below to talk today...