To be a Christian, I think you have to lose your temper.
No, I’m not talking about shouting, throwing things, stomping your feet or holding your breath until you turn blue. I’m suggesting that you ought to lose it in the same way you’ve occasionally lost your wallet, keys or mobile phone. Except that this would be deliberate. In other words – GET RID OF IT!
We’ve all done it. We’ve put our mobile down somewhere, perhaps on a counter in a shop, and forgotten to pick it up as we left. When we do, it reminds us how much we rely on these devices. It’s not usually too long before you realize it’s gone and begin mentally rewinding your life to find the last time you had it.
It’s likely you’ve also had times when you’ve allowed anger to rule your emotions, actions and your mouth. As regular readers know, I am certainly one of the chief examples in this category. For years anger had more control over me than I ever had over it. Some situation or other would aggravate me, and I would “explode” in anger. (Yeah, that’s actually how my behavior was described to me. An explosion.) I’m ashamed to admit it, and it wasn’t pretty.
Are you familiar with the term “EMP?” It stands for Electromagnetic Pulse, and it is the byproduct of a nuclear explosion. It travels at the speed of light and is capable of short-circuiting anything sensitive in range. Since EMP is electromagnetic energy traveling at the speed of light, everything vulnerable in the detonation zone could be affected simultaneously.
When your temper “explodes” the damage it causes is also instantaneous, and everything vulnerable in the detonation zone (relationships, reputation, family, friends) could be affected simultaneously.
Today’s verse addresses that when it says:
CONTROL YOUR TEMPER, FOR ANGER LABELS YOU A FOOL
The bible contains a proverb that says “A fool’s mouth is his ruin.” It certainly was mine. Anger would well up, I’d lose my temper and open my mouth. My outburst of angry words was like an emotional EMP causing instantaneous damage to everything sensitive in range.
Praying for healing from my temper, the first thing I needed to learn was to keep my mouth shut! Some say biting your tongue works. Some say deliberately smiling helps. To corrupt a phrase from a book I read years ago, people with a temper that’s out of control need to smile until their tongue bleeds.
Among Solomon’s proverbs is this gem: “Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” I’ve heard it said that it’s better to hold your tongue and be thought a fool, than to speak your mind and remove all doubt.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Our words have the power to destroy or to heal. God’s word working within us can impact our very nature, if we allow Him to mold us into Christ’s image. James wrote one of the verses that caused me to wrestle with the issue of temper and verbal outbursts. It says, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.”
Worthless. That’s pretty stark.
The good news is that no human being can tame the tongue.
WHY is that GOOD news, you ask? Because it means that God knows it is impossible for us, and He specializes in doing the impossible. As we give ourselves to Him, submitting our character, our failures and our impossible needs – HE begins to change them by the power of His Spirit. That’s the power of the relationship; the power of a real and vibrant “religion.” If your religion hasn’t changed you, it’s time to change your religion.
So, lose your temper. Get rid of it.
Give it to God and let Him deal with it. If you’ve “gone EMP” on people, the first thing to do is apologize. Ask them to forgive you, ask them to hold you accountable. And then deliberately begin to use your words to heal the damage you’ve caused. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Our words have the power to destroy or to heal. Be deliberate about speaking life, speaking healing.
So go ahead, lose your temper today, and tomorrow, and every tomorrow after that. Keep giving it to God until there’s none left to give. The best way to control your temper is to give it away.
CONTROL YOUR TEMPER, FOR ANGER LABELS YOU A FOOL
