Who enjoys driving in rush hour traffic? Who enjoys being cut off and hitting their brakes constantly? Who believes the lane they are driving in is always the slow lane and when you leave that lane, they suddenly figure out how to drive? Who's amazed by the thoughts and language they use while stuck in traffic?
I am not a fan of driving to work. My wife can attest to that fact, very rarely wanting to talk to me during those times. It's amazing how angry one can get while in rush hour traffic.
I was watching the comedian Louis C.K. talk about this in one of his stand ups. He talked about how awful our language is during traffic and how we scream things that we wouldn't say if that person was near us. If someone leans into your lane you might yell "stupid (insert curse word)". But, you wouldn't say that if they got close to you in a crowded elevator. We sometimes wish horrible things on people when they cant hear us. I know I can be guilty of that.
A lot of us believe that anger is a sinful thing. It is not. The issue is our reaction in that anger. Paul, in Ephesians 4:26-27 says "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold"
Paul says that we will get angry. There are times that its OK to get angry. There are things that happen which should make Christians angry. The Boston Marathon explosions, the Sandy Hook shootings, child & domestic abuse, neglect of the poor, etc.. There are things that can make us angry. But, Paul points that in this anger, we are not to sin. It should be a call of action to spread the love of God, not to get revenge or react in sin.
Paul adds in Romans 12:19, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave for God's wrath, for it is written 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay" Let God handle the situation. We are to stand up against evil and do what we can. But, we cant seek revenge - the old eye for an eye wrath.
What happens when we give in to our anger? What happens when we dwell on our anger? We become distracted and lose sight of God. We become self-absorbed at our own hurt and want the person who made us angry to hurt wore than us. This gives the devil a foothold.
I know when I get angry with my wife (its rare but happens), I dwell on my pain. I am also reminded of previous slights which can make a small issue a bigger one. This is the devil whispering in my ear "Ignore all the good times and remember these times she upset you". The devil wants nothing more than to cause misery and suffering. My wife and I make it a point if there are issues to at least talk about them before bedtime. That helps immensely and I would recommend it. If nothing else, its pretty hard to sleep well when angry.
James 1:19-20 says "My dear brothers & sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires"
How do we respond? We need to listen to others and not just our internal voice. It's OK to get angry, but we must become slow to it. As stated, our anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
But, its OK to get angry. It should make us angry when we see injustice and sin. But, it shouldn't lead us to sinning. Our reaction needs to be better than that. It should prompt us to lean more into God - ask Him what he wants us to do. It's OK to talk to God when you are angry - in fact I would highly recommend it. It helps you to calm down and keep you grounded. Do not dwell on it!!! Do not be consumed with your anger as it only leads to destruction of relationships and your heart.
Also, try not to let the little things bother you, especially rush hour driving. It's minor and it will pass. Why let it control you? I remember being upset in traffic and asking "What would Jesus do?"
I swear I heard a voice saying "I don't know, we walked everywhere." This made me laugh out loud and realize that this was a minor inconvenience. Be constructive and uplifting when you become angry, it is a more satisfying outcome.
I am not a fan of driving to work. My wife can attest to that fact, very rarely wanting to talk to me during those times. It's amazing how angry one can get while in rush hour traffic.
I was watching the comedian Louis C.K. talk about this in one of his stand ups. He talked about how awful our language is during traffic and how we scream things that we wouldn't say if that person was near us. If someone leans into your lane you might yell "stupid (insert curse word)". But, you wouldn't say that if they got close to you in a crowded elevator. We sometimes wish horrible things on people when they cant hear us. I know I can be guilty of that.
A lot of us believe that anger is a sinful thing. It is not. The issue is our reaction in that anger. Paul, in Ephesians 4:26-27 says "In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold"
Paul says that we will get angry. There are times that its OK to get angry. There are things that happen which should make Christians angry. The Boston Marathon explosions, the Sandy Hook shootings, child & domestic abuse, neglect of the poor, etc.. There are things that can make us angry. But, Paul points that in this anger, we are not to sin. It should be a call of action to spread the love of God, not to get revenge or react in sin.
Paul adds in Romans 12:19, "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave for God's wrath, for it is written 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay" Let God handle the situation. We are to stand up against evil and do what we can. But, we cant seek revenge - the old eye for an eye wrath.
What happens when we give in to our anger? What happens when we dwell on our anger? We become distracted and lose sight of God. We become self-absorbed at our own hurt and want the person who made us angry to hurt wore than us. This gives the devil a foothold.
I know when I get angry with my wife (its rare but happens), I dwell on my pain. I am also reminded of previous slights which can make a small issue a bigger one. This is the devil whispering in my ear "Ignore all the good times and remember these times she upset you". The devil wants nothing more than to cause misery and suffering. My wife and I make it a point if there are issues to at least talk about them before bedtime. That helps immensely and I would recommend it. If nothing else, its pretty hard to sleep well when angry.
James 1:19-20 says "My dear brothers & sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires"
How do we respond? We need to listen to others and not just our internal voice. It's OK to get angry, but we must become slow to it. As stated, our anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
But, its OK to get angry. It should make us angry when we see injustice and sin. But, it shouldn't lead us to sinning. Our reaction needs to be better than that. It should prompt us to lean more into God - ask Him what he wants us to do. It's OK to talk to God when you are angry - in fact I would highly recommend it. It helps you to calm down and keep you grounded. Do not dwell on it!!! Do not be consumed with your anger as it only leads to destruction of relationships and your heart.
Also, try not to let the little things bother you, especially rush hour driving. It's minor and it will pass. Why let it control you? I remember being upset in traffic and asking "What would Jesus do?"
I swear I heard a voice saying "I don't know, we walked everywhere." This made me laugh out loud and realize that this was a minor inconvenience. Be constructive and uplifting when you become angry, it is a more satisfying outcome.
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