“Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm.”

I’m playing golf in Ireland this week.  What a treat it is and nothing like I have ever done before.  New courses that are hard in themselves but so different in terrain, growth in the rough, sand, and wind that seems to never stop blowing.  I’m with a good group of guys but every now and then frustration will ignite into temper and they get angry with themselves.  Did I say, “they?”  I meant to say, “we”. (smile).  It dawned on me yesterday that we as human beings can even get angry over something we call, “playing”.  Think about how many times in the day that we get angry about something.  It can be something little that triggers our temper and before we know it, it’s turned into a rage inside of us. Others might not see it, or hear it, but it is still happening.  That time that is lost in productivity and efficiency is enough alone to want to control ourselves.  Imagine a workplace where the boss just started the day with, “We don’t get angry here”.  We probably would breathe a little easier about our mistakes, more easily take different points of view, and more courageously take risks.

The saying is, “Life is too short”.  I’d add that “Eternity is very long”.  When we lose our temper, as the Bible says, it only leads to harm.  But, the harm can be just as great, if not greater, to those around us. We leave our footprints where ever we step, so let’s be careful about what we leave when get angry and others are affected and impacted by our example. Is there something today that just needs to be let go of and anger replaced with resolve and understanding?

Reference: Psalm 37:8 (New Living Translation)