By Jena Kleinpeter

Ps 4:4 Do not sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.

Sleep on it and take care of it tomorrow.  Sound familiar? When something makes me angry, I try to wait before deciding how to deal with it. God will allow trouble in our life to see how we handle it. Anger usually occurs when we are inconvenienced or perhaps unwilling to see another’s point of view. If we are not careful, we will direct our anger at the wrong people in the wrong way and at the wrong time.

However, moral outrage at evil or injustice is acceptable. Yes, you will get angry, feel hurtful emotion and possibly lash out, but sin occurs when we are angry to the point of causing negative outcomes. Hatred, jealously, and evil actions are all sins.

As Christians, we can cling to God with confidence, knowing his help and consolation are waiting for us in both good times and bad. Seek his help to find the root of the anger. When calm, pray and ask God for insight.  If angry at a person, set a time to discuss what you felt. It will surprise you what positives can come from a heartfelt discussion. Understanding and knowledge of a person’s situation can be very enlightening.

Ever gone out to eat, and the server seems just a bit off, distracted, unable to concentrate.  The service is slow and maybe incorrect. Your first inclination is to be angry with the server and give a lousy tip. This happened on a Sunday afternoon after church. We were fresh from hearing God’s word and I was getting angry. I felt robbed of my pleasant family afternoon. But you never know what that person is going through.

When the server returned to check if we needed anything, I said “no but you seem upset, is there anything I can do for you?” A look of shock came across her face then an amazing thing happened. She apologized for not being 100%. I told her about the love of God. With the tip, we gave her a card from our church. The server came to church for a while.

When anger tries to rear its ugly head, it is best to stop and think before reacting.

Edited by Teena Myers, SCW Chairman

Jena Kleinpeter‘s Word of the Day is a work in progress. She hopes to publish a 365 day devotional on the book of Psalms. Visit https://jenakleinpeter.com/ for more devotions in Psalms.