Avoiding The Angst Of Anger

Avoiding The Angst Of Anger 1                               

19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  James 1:19­-21

Illustration: Buried Anger Will Explode

  In a 1994 article, "Wars' Lethal Leftovers Threaten Europeans," Associated Press reporter Christopher Burns writes: "The bombs of World War II are still killing in Europe. They turn up--and sometimes blow up--at construction sites, in fishing nets, or on beaches fifty years after the guns fell silent.

  "Hundreds of tons of explosives are recovered every year in France alone. Thirteen old bombs exploded in France last year, killing twelve people and wounding eleven, the Interior Ministry said.

  "'I've lost two of my colleagues,' said Yvon Bouvet, who heads a government team in the Champagne-Ardennes region that defuses explosives from both World War I and II. ...

  "Unexploded bombs become more dangerous with time, Bouvet said. 'With the corrosion inside, the weapon becomes more unstable, the detonator can be exposed.'"  What is true of lingering bombs is also true of lingering anger. Buried anger will explode when we least expect it."     -- Barry McGee, Anderson, California.  Leadership, Vol.

Listen to this paraphrase of James 1:19-21.

"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life."  

James offers some steps toward overcoming anger.

Be slow to speak (v. 19). 19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath

The Delany twins two centenarian twins have what they call, Graveyard Talk.

  "Know when to keep quiet. When we decide something is private, we'll say it's "graveyard talk." That means it's between you and me and the tombstone, honey."

  -- Sadie and Bessie Delany, Christian Reader, Vol. 33, no. 2.

“Slow to speak.” God gave us two ears and one mouth—there must be a very definite reason for that. There is a real danger of our talking too much.

The story is told about Socrates and a young man who was brought to him to enter his school. Socrates was a school teacher as well as a philosopher. The young man came in and was introduced to Socrates. Before he could say a word, the young man started talking, and he talked for about ten minutes. Finally, when the young man finished, Socrates said, “I’ll take you as a student, but I’m going to charge you twice as much.” The young man asked, “Why are you going to charge me double?” Socrates’ reply was this: “First I am going to have to teach you how to hold your tongue and then how to use it.”

Weigh your words carefully (Prov. 17:28  Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Prov. 29:20. Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.