19 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James 1:19-21
I don't feel like I struggle with this like I have in the past. Of course I still struggle with this today, after all I am married and have a 3 year old ;) but I think this verse is important to everyone in today's world.
We live in a time when it's common to use hand signals to show our anger on the road or to yell at our spouse or children. Or when we know that someone is having a difficult time we want to share our experience or share what we think the solution should be. But instead God calls us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."
This is a verse that I try to live by daily because more often than not people get angry and speck without thinking. I have been known to show my dark side with people and it's not pretty. Yelling, screaming, and definitely not listening is not the attitude that I want to show my family or the world.
Today let's all try to stop and think before we act. Stop and listen to the child that is crying uncontrollably and figure out what is making him so frustrated and talk out a way to fix it. Smile at a grumpy spouse and show them some extra love to soften their mood and their heart. Be a friendly ear to someone, whether it be a friend, colleague or stranger and see what it does in your life and in the lives of the people you interact with. I bet you will see a huge change in how you feel at the end of the day and I'm sure everyone else will feel more peaceful too.
If you notice a change maybe post this scripture up somewhere that you can see daily or maybe if several place where you feel the most frustrated so every time you need it, it's close by to remind you the way that God has called us to be in order to live the righteous life that he desires for us so deeply.
Comments
Post a Comment