Quick, Slow, Slow

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry – James 1:19

Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard this one before, but have you applied it in every situation in your life?

When your kids do something that upsets you – do you immediately raise your voice and get angry or do you take the time to patiently listen to their reasoning for their ridiculous actions? You might find that the humor of their explanation defuses your tendency toward anger.

If one of your coworkers is talking about a topic sensitive to you (faith, social or political issues), do you pipe up and angrily defend your position, or do you hear them out and try to understand where they are coming from?

Today, if you catch yourself getting angry, take the time to think about the scenario you are in. Do you tend to get angry in these types of scenarios often? Next time you are in this same scenario, but before you feel yourself getting angry, remind yourself to listen and not to speak. This is an easy verse to memorize. Memorize it and speak it to yourself repeatedly when you get in those scenarios and you may just brighten your day a little more.