Traffic Jam

Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated-it can only bring harm.

Psalm 37:8

The author of today's devotional tells a story about how one day she is stuck in traffic, due to a 3 car pile up, on her way to drop her daughter off at day care before going to work. She talks about how the people, including herself, were becoming impatient as the traffic came to a dead stop. Horns were blaring, people were shouting, and trying to weave their way around the accident. She found herself shouting at other drivers, and talks of feeling the beginning of a tension headache as she tried to squelch the intense anger she felt. "Stupid" her 4 year old daughter yelled at a passing car. Suddenly she realized that God was showing her the problem was not the traffic, but her anger. She goes on to quote a few scriptures, Ecclesiates 7:9 says

Don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.

, and Ephesians 4:26 says,

Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger.

Anger is an emotion that I have struggled with. I tend to be a hothead, get angry and ask questions later. It usually gets me into much trouble, and I always end up with my foot in my mouth. Over the last few years, this is something that I have been working on. I don't like the way I feel when I am angry, and I was beginning to feel that way all the time. I have asked to God to help me in the this area, and while I still get angry, and I still put my foot in my mouth from time to time, I have learned the difference between just being angry over something I can't control, and justified anger. Justified anger doesn't give me the right to sin, but there are some things that we need to be angry over, so that we can take steps to make things right.

Steps of faith:
Father, help me to deal with anger when it arises. Mold me into the image of Your Son so I can be pleasing in Your sight.