Anger

Snookie · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 64

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention. Proverbs 15:18

I don’t know how many of you struggle with anger, but it seems to be one of those emotions which is easy for me to succumb to sometimes. I’ve noticed that the more I do it, the easier it is to get angry next time. And then my anger almost always stirs up anger in those I’m around, which just perpetuates the problem. If, however, I intentionally respond as Proverbs suggests, even though I don’t feel like it at the time, I don’t feel regretful or foolish later. My anger dissipates. If someone else is angry with me and I respond with a “soft answer,” it usually takes the steam out of their engine, or at least leaves them confused because my response was not what they expected.

Proverbs is full of so much wisdom. It’s just a shame that we usually have to get older to learn that the principles contained there really work.
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snookie

CajuninKy · Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 554 Location: Kentucky

Anger is something I don't have a big problem with but bitterness is another story. I am a living picture of "don't get mad. get even". In my instance it is a generational curse. My mother is holding grudges aginst people who are dead and gone. But she is not a Christian. I am and I should be able to deal with it better. I think bitterness can be worse than anger because it lingers. I am thankful God is merciful and works with me daily.