Blowing Up
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. – James 1:19-21.
Mellesia Grant and Merloze Tilme had a little argument where they were working at a Walgreens in Florida. The two Walgreens’ employees reportedly had a personality conflict from the beginning of their work relationship. That failure to relate with each other finally grew to physical violence over who was going to first use the microwave in the employee break room to warm some soup. Mellesia found a kitchen knife that was on the counter and stabbed Merloze in the abdomen. According to the sheriff’s office, the women then wrestled for the knife inflicting wounds on both of their hands. Thankfully, the store manager was finally able to stop the fight before one of them was killed. Merloze was hospitalized and was reportedly in good condition. Mellesia, after being treated for her wounds, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Jim Leliedal spokesperson for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office shared about the unfortunate situation that, “They didn’t get along to begin with. Who could use the microwave first became a major issue.”
Perhaps Mellesia and Merloze could have avoided some friction at work if they had read these words in the Book of James before going to work that morning: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” You could say that the anger of Mellesia and Merloze finally just blew up in their faces.
A woman with an anger problem who was talking to Billy Sunday tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. “There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper” she said, “I blow up, and then it’s all over.” “So does a shotgun” Sunday replied, “and look at the damage it leaves behind!” Frederick Buechner once said, “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back — in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”
If you have a problem with angry outbursts, it is a serious problem and you ought to be concerned about it. Why? Because you could very well “blow” some day and cause much damage to your life and to the lives of others. Why wait until then to do something? Now is the time to take care of the problem before something tragic occurs.
The first step in dealing with an anger problem is to admit that you have one and confess it to the Lord (1 John 1:9) and ask for His help. Ask God to guard your tongue to help you to say only what He wants you to say and for those listening to only hear what God wants them to hear. If there is a situation that is causing you anger, ask God to help you with it and to take control of it.
Rudeness is apparently at a new high according to a recent survey in the United States. However, rudeness should not be a part of a believer’s life. We should practice the presence of Christ because He does hear every word we say and know every thought we think. Practicing His presence, consciously acknowledging His presence in tense, anger filled situations, will dissipate the explosiveness of those times.
The spiritual fact is that God has the power to change you and to take away the anger. Do you want Him to help you? Ask Him!
(God has the power to overcome any anger problem.)