Love Dare Day #6

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 1:19 (The Message)

Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity. Proverbs 14:29 (The Message)

Are you a calming Breeze? Or a storm waiting to happen?* More often times than not, we tend to react rather than respond. The warnings against anger are repeated all throughout the Bible. Over and over again we are warned against it. Someone cuts us off on the highway and immediately our anger boils. We pack our schedules too tight causing stress and frustration and the first person to cross our path catches grief over it. Maybe someone else is having an off day and doesn't quite respond to us the way we think they should, so without considering what is going on in their lives to cause their quick response, we immediately attack right back. Proverbs 15:18 says Hot tempers start fights; a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace. How many times could a fight have been avoided if we would have responded in humility and love? Anger, too, hinders our relationship with God. We must choose selflessness and we must choose self-control to avoid anger and grow in our relationship with Christ.

In addition to refraining from any negativity, go throughout your day with a happy heart. Be self-controlled and be empathetic. Try to think about what that person could be going through. They could have a dying loved one, or financial problems, or a sick child, or a failing marriage, or just had a really bad day at work. Be an example. Refrain from anger today and reap the Lord's blessings. This you know, my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger. James 1:19 NASB

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.Ps. 86:15

*exert taken from The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick