Cooling a Hot Temper
Proverbs 29:22 An angry person causes arguments, and someone who is quick-tempered is guilty of many sins.
Some people have hot tempers. It’s as though their anger is on a hair trigger and just the slightest provocation will set it off.
When was the last time you were angry with someone, or with a situation? Just go back into that moment with me. What set you off? Was it a big thing, or was it just … the slightest provocation.
With this rising tide of pressure that we seem to be living with these days, can I ask you, are you perhaps becoming one of those people whose anger is on a hair trigger? Or perhaps you know someone, someone who’s close to you who is quick to anger?
It’s not a pretty thing, and whether you’re at the giving or receiving end of this rapid-fire sort of anger, my hunch is that it’s time to figure out what to do about it.
An angry person causes arguments, and someone who is quick-tempered is guilty of many sins. (Proverbs 29:22)
I used to be one of those people who was quick to anger, and can I tell you, it’s no way to live your life, because it robs you of one of the most important things we can ever have in life – peace. Oh, and just by the way, hot temperedness has a funny way of robbing you of your most important relationships too.
One day, I sat down to think about the things I was always getting angry about. My problem is perfectionism. How could other people not do things exactly the way that I wanted them to?!!
But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that ninety-nine point nine percent of the things that were setting me off, simply weren’t worth it.
Come on, what are the things that make you angry? How many of them are really worth losing your peace over? How often is it the case that your anger has caused arguments? How often has this quick temperedness led you to do the wrong thing?
We all get angry from time to time. Even God gets angry. But the Bible tells us that God is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.
Some things are worth getting angry over, but most things aren’t. What a great model to follow – being slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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