Tuesday; September 19

One of my favorite passages is James 1:19-20, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”. I like this verse because it speaks of being proactive in our interpersonal relationships. Through the years, I have allowed this to guide the way I deal with people and, for the most part, I believe it has served me well. The other day, though, I became especially thankful that the last section said, “be slow to anger”. For the most part, I am pretty good at this, but that thanksgiving gave way to a warning. What if James would have said, “be slow to irritation”? I don’t know that my emotions rise to the level of anger, but it is easy to find myself getting irritated with people. Again, that is not against this warning, but it could be a step in that direction!

Let’s make sure we avoid anger, but let’s also be on the look out for irritation. When we feel people starting to get under our skin, let’s slow down and calm down. Maybe it is taking a deep breath or forming a face-changing (and emotion-altering) smile – but somehow, let’s change the direction our thought process is heading. Not only will it help our relationships stay intact, it might prevent us from stepping over the line into anger.

Think About It! 

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