You know it and I know it. The wheel that squeaks the loudest always gets greased first. The complainer, the whiner, the pusher, the puller…whatever it takes to be heard, human beings have bought the “squeaky wheel” phenomena. And most of the time the squeaker gets his way, but not with God.
“He who is slow to anger has great understanding.” Proverbs 14:29
One of the fruits of the spirit, which God clearly indicates are present in true Christianity, is self-control. Many of us want to slip that one under the carpet and choose not to include it in our “fruit salad;” however, God is pretty clear on His instructions about anger. I’ve heard it justified that even Jesus got angry…once…in the house of His Father…over men gambling and selling…so…I can yell and scream at the cashier at Walmart because I had to wait in line. Hmmmmm…
“Understand this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry. For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God wishes and requires.” James 1:19-20
Several years ago I was given the opportunity to speak with a gentleman who was born in Poland but spent years in a Nazi concentration camp. At the age of 12, he was sent to study piano in Moscow, Russia. In route, he was imprisoned with several scientists from Russia. A child prodigy of sorts, he was robbed of his opportunity to be a concert pianist by the Germans. He later studied medicine after the war and never returned to Poland because his entire family was killed during the invasion. When I spoke with him, his demeanor appeared slow and languishing and yet his wit was quick and intelligent. As he talked of his ordeal,the realness of it all felt as if it had just happened; although he was a much older man now. “You are stronger than you know,” he said to me, pointing a finger ridden with arthritis. “Every day other men, scientists by profession, encouraged me with that one phrase. ‘You are stronger than you know.’ Do not allow life and people to make you angry for when you do, you are accepting the way they are treating you.”
Responding to our struggles and obstacles instead of reacting to them allows us to feel God’s power in our soul.
Proverbs 16:32, “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”
Often when I myself feel frustrated, I remind myself, “There is a solution for everything. We just need to find it.”
Be a listener. Put thought in what you are going to say. And through your actions, promote righteousness as God wishes and requires.
