Shed Anger Before It Shreds You

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20ESV).

A snake sheds its outer layer of skin because it is growing. The new skin is more flexible and vibrant. Shedding the snakeskin of anger may put you between a rock and a hard place. But it is necessary for you to emotionally mature, grow in your relationships, and enjoy the peace of God.

Patience, which is the wisdom of restraint, stabilizes you when your frustration is at its tipping point. Tolerance does not disguise or deny your anger, but it holds you in check to overcome it. Discussions and questioning should generate light rather than heat. Hissy fits keep people in the dark.

As believers in Jesus, we have His grace to restrain ourselves to listen. We value the peace Jesus gives us over giving someone else a piece of our mind. We can exchange the habit of over talking another for the poise of being slow to speak. We can trade our quick temper for one that is even. All of this positions you for a spiritual breakthrough, which far exceeds the fleeting satisfaction of “putting someone in his or her place.”