Controlling Temper

Proverbs 19:11 (NLT)
11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

There are two rules a wise man will follow. The first is that one should control their anger until they understand all the merits of the provocation. The philosopher Plato said to his servant, "I would beat thee, but that I am angry.’’ Give it time, and it will cool. When a person takes time to reflect upon and understand their feelings often the anger they are feeling will subside and reason will return to them. Second a person should not be over critical in their resentments. The person who can hold back their anger and express their emotions on pleasant terms will gain much more respect. Calmness and peace is endured much more greatly than strife and anger.

Fighting rush-hour traffic from suburban Maryland to Washington D.C., can cause its share of near misses and irritating moments. One morning, a young lady darted her compact car from a side street into the stream of traffic immediately in front of a driver, forcing him to brake sharply. He avoided hitting her by inches and was obviously furious. Within seconds, traffic stopped at a red light, and I watched him pull up behind the offender, leap from his car, and stride angrily toward hers. Clearly, he intended to give her a royal bowling out. Seeing him coming, the very attractive young lady jumped from her car and ran to meet him--a big smile on her face! Before he could say one word or know what was happening, she had thrown her arms around him, hugged him tightly, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips! Then she was back in her car and driving away, leaving her antagonist standing in the middle of the street still speechless and looking somewhat confused and embarrassed--but no longer angry! [B.R. Holt, Caldwell, ID. Christian Reader, "Lite Fare."}

Perhaps the woman’s actions were a little drastic on both accounts, but she knew she was in the wrong and wanted to defuse the situation. And while her approach was a little extreme it did leave the man wondering about his anger. It is better to defuse the anger in our hearts rather than to let it fester and create damage to our hearts and character.