Slow to Become Angry....Quick to Find JOY!

Have you had your JOY JUICE today?  It’s hard to stay angry when you are filled with the JOY of the Lord!

            When was the last time you responded to someone in anger?  Yesterday?  This morning?  Maybe in the last few minutes? :)  When we react in anger, it not only hurts the person on the receiving end, it makes us feel rotten, too! Angry responses…even to those who have hurt us first… seldom do anything to make the situation better.  As a matter of fact…things usually escalate and may say or things that leave scars….at least on the heart. 

            James 1:19 tells us, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”  Is that what we usually do? More often than not we find ourselves doing the opposite…being slow to listen and quick to speak & become angry!

            One of the best things we can do to prevent ourselves from losing our “cool” is to take our eyes off ourselves and focus on what God would have us do.  James says to be “quick to listen”!  When we determine to really “listen” to the other person, we may hear with a new perspective.  Instead of getting angry and allowing unkind words to spout from our lips, let’s “be slow to speak”. Take the time to rethink the situation and see it from the other person’s point of view. 

            Sometimes we might find out that we are wrong…or at least admit that we are overreacting! Let’s ask God to help us see the situation with His wisdom and let’s pray for ways to be a peacemaker. We don’t always have to prove that we are right and the other person is wrong.

            Let’s find JOY by being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry!