RESPONDING TO ANGER
Ecclesiastes 12
Don’t let the
excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth
before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” Remember him
before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain
clouds continually darken your sky. Remember him before your legs—the guards of
your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop.
Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and
before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.
Remember him
before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades.
Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will
grow faint.
Remember him before
you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before
your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without
energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual
desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the
mourners will weep at your funeral.
Yes, remember
your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and
the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the
spring and the pulley is broken at the well.
For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return
to God who gave it.
“Everything is
meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”
Keep this in
mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he
knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them.
The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly.
The words of the
wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are
like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.
But, my child,
let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless,
and much study wears you out.
That’s the whole
story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for
this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including
every secret thing, whether good or bad.
Please begin
today by rereading the above passage, especially the last few verses that
define authentic life.
We respond to
anger in numerous ways. I need not list them for we are well aware of as
recipient and/or practitioner of from detached objective calm to peeve to
extreme. So let’s just skip cataloging and go directly to that which is most
important: Dealing with anger in healthy way pleasing to our Lord, for by anger
we are too often distracted and hindered here and are and shall be judged. The
following is a pocket list to be carried and reviewed as needed. [inserts
mine] EBB4
“A wise [man or]
woman builds [his] her home, but a foolish [man or] woman tears it down with
[his] her own hands. Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who
take the wrong path despise him. . . .
The prudent carefully consider their steps. The wise are cautious and
avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. Short-tempered
people do foolish things, and schemers are hated. Simpletons are clothed with
foolishness, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.” NLT Proverbs 14:1-2,
14-18
--
“A gentle answer
deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. The tongue of the wise
makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. The
Lord is watching everywhere,
keeping his eye on both the evil and the good. Gentle
words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” NLT Proverbs
15:1-4
--
“And so, dear
brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of
all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he
will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the
behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person
by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you,
which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Because of the
privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning:
Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of
yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. . . . NLT
Romans 12:1-3
--
Never pay back
evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are
honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends,
never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the
Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
[Deut.32:35] Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are
thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on
their heads.”[Pr.25:22]
Don’t let evil
conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” NLT Romans 12:1-3, 17-21
--
“Understand this,
my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak,
and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness [or the
justice] God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and
humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to
save your souls.
But don’t just
listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling
yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing
at your face in a mirror. You see
yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully
into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t
forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
If you claim to
be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your
religion is worthless.” NLT James 1:19-26
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