It is human nature to get mad when someone does something that we take offense to. Maybe it is because of political views. Maybe it is because of something someone said or did. Maybe it is a ref who missed an obvious holding penalty that resulted in your favorite team losing a big game. In situations like these it is instinct some times to get mad.

Sometimes lashing out has no consequences. That driver who cut you off will probably never know you were swearing at them. The after mentioned ref wont know you threw a foam brick at your tv. But what about when you say something to a family member who made you mad? What about when you react in anger to the guy who has spilt his drink on you? There will be consequences, and the probably won’t be good.

So how should we handle anger? James 1:19 says we should be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger." In other words, don't react instantly when someone says or does something that angers you. Take a breath. Look around. Maybe they are having a bad day. Maybe it was simply an accident. Sometimes, by taking a moment to look at the situation, we see that it isn't as bad as we first thought. Sometimes "Hulk Smash" isn't the best solution.

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes anger is justified. Genocide, human trafficking, mass shootings, and more are all situations where you should understandably be upset. But even then, take a step back. Think before you write an angry post on social media. Pray and ask God how to best help the victims or keep something like this from happening.

It may be cliched, but sometimes we need to ask ourselves "what would Jesus do?"

Blessings,

Pastor Ryan Canaday