Anger and Guarding Your Heart

Anger management--certainly a skill that we all need to hone. Some people are fairly laidback, while others have steam coming out of their ears at the slightest annoyance. One thing I know for sure: when you manage the emotion of anger, you feel so much better. I would imagine that your physical health improves, too. Now, the emotion of anger is not wrong in and of itself. I believe it is a good thing that we become angry when hearing of injustices and abuses in our world. But we must monitor what we get angry about. For example, it's pretty fruitless and stupid to get angry about a fly buzzing around one's house. We must not let anger consume us. Proverbs 14 holds 3 verses that are reminders how important it is for us to manage this emotion.

"A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless." (Prov. 14:16)

"A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated." (Prov. 14:17)

"A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly." (Prov. 14:29)

So, the next time you find your anger beginning to boil, check yourself before you do something stupid, such as breaking an object or someone's heart.

Some other verses I found interesting....

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones" (Prov. 14:30). I have struggled with envy. It is not a pleasant feeling. For this reason, it is so important to guard your heart against such emotions. The horrible thing about envy is that it takes root easily, and the roots grow deep very quickly. Greed, malice, and hatred often shoot off of envy that has been allowed to stay in one's heart. Don't just prune away at your envy; dig it up, roots and all. And how do you do that? Consciously thinking of all you have that not everyone has is a good strategy. Doing it every day and writing down what you think of, a la a gratitude journal, is often helpful. Also, considering the difficulties the person of whom you are envious is facing is also a good strategy.

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty" (Prov. 14:23). As the phrase goes, "all talk and no action." Talking about plans can be a great motivator to actually getting the job done. But beware of talking about it to avoid doing it. One really looks foolish in that situation.

"The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down" (Prov. 14:1). This could probably be applied to many different situations. To me, at this moment, it is an inspiration to be persistent about improving the physical aspects of my home as well as about working on the talents and skills God has given me so that I use them to His glory. This verse can also be applied to maintaining marital relationships. Great marriages are not built overnight!

"Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy" (Prov. 14:10). This verse intrigued me, and I looked it up in a variety of translations of the Bible. I'm not exactly sure what Solomon had in mind when he wrote that. But my interpretation is that each of us has sorrows, and each of us has joys. Others can sympathize and can rejoice with a person, but no one can experience exactly what that person feels. I think that is why knowing God is such a comfort. He made each of us and knows each individual better than that person knows himself or herself. And Jesus came to earth in order to experience life as a human being so He could serve as an intercessor on our behalf, knowing what it feels like to be human. The amazing wisdom of God, to know that's what we would need!