“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” – Ephesians 4:26 (NLT)
There once was a little boy who had a very bad temper. His father decided to hand him a bag of nails and said to the boy, “Every time you lose your temper, hammer a nail into the fence.”
On the first day, the boy hammered 37 nails into that fence.
The boy gradually began to control his temper over the next few weeks, and the number of nails he was hammering into the fence slowly decreased. He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer those nails into the fence.
Finally, the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father the news and the father suggested that the boy should now pull out a nail every day he kept his temper under control.
The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.
“You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”
The Bible doesn’t tell us that we shouldn’t feel angry sometimes, but it does remind us that it’s important to manage our anger properly. Anger expressed without thoughtful consideration can hurt others and ruin relationships. On the other hand, when anger is bottled up inside it can create resentment and destroy us from within.
Paul states that we are to deal with our anger immediately, and in a way that nurtures relationships rather than harm them. When we refuse to let go of anger, satan will use it to divide us.
As we look around society today, we clearly see a lot of angry, divided people. And unfortunately for us Christians, some of us make up a significant percentage of that angry, divisive population.
James states in chapter 1, verses 19 & 20:
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” (NIV)
Are you angry with someone at the moment? What can you do to resolve your differences? Don’t let the day end before you begin to work on mending that relationship. Put your pride aside and go make peace with those who you have an issue with. Forgive them, just as your Father in Heaven has forgiven you. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 