Restraining Anger — A LifeWords Devotion

         Fools vent their anger,
            but the wise quietly hold it back. (NLT)

We seem to live in an age of outrage. So many people are angry at so many other people. The art of civil discourse is disappearing. Those who disagree with us are demonised. Passions spill over and words serve as lethal weapons.

Our response to this is not to simply become detached and bury our passions and smooth over differences as if they don’t matter. Today’s text does suggest, though, that we don’t let anger get in the way. Just getting things off our chest may make us feel better but the verbal shrapnel of our outbursts can do a lot of damage.

It is here that some Christians decide to avoid that by burying their anger. This only leads to simmering rage which does physical and mental damage. Anger needs to have an outlet, but not at the expense of others, not as a means of shoving our passions down others’ throats. We choose to express our anger in constructive and non-hurtful ways.

If only we would think more before we speak, or reflect more before we post on social media or send an email. If only our dialogues could generate a lot more light and a lot less heat.

Blessings
David