Uncontrolled anger can kill just as surely as an automobile accident. I thought of this when I read about two motorists who headed for the same parking place. Both stopped in front of it and refused to let the other in. Then they jumped out of their cars and started arguing. Tempers flared. Suddenly, the older man (he was 70) collapsed to the ground from a heart attack. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. A passerby who had stopped to cool down the two men walked away from the scene in disgust, saying, “It made me sick! All that tragic sorrow over a parking space!”
Failure to control our emotions can also cause less spectacular but almost as disastrous consequences. In a fit of rage a man might make a statement to his wife that will cause her pain for years. A church leader can destroy his influence by losing control in a crisis situation. In a moment of impatience, a mother may shout at her teenager, stopping all communication between them.
In 2 Samuel 3, we see that David’s top military commander Joab hated Abner because Abner had killed his brother in battle. Joab also resented Abner as a rival. Because he yielded to his anger, he slew Abner, which eventually led to his own execution (1 Kings 2:26-35).
If you want to learn self-control, make Jesus Christ your Lord and submit yourself to the Holy Spirit, who lives in you. He will give you strength to be slow to anger, no matter what the circumstance. – Herbert Vander Lugt
In anger I have never done
A kindly deed or wise
But many things for which I felt
I should apologize. – Jackson
Staying calm is the best way to take wind out of an angry person’s sails.
- November 7, 1987, Our Daily Bread
For You 