Day 21~ Do Not Let the Sun go Down on Your Anger

There is a Chinese Proverb that says this; “If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow”

Anger is something that we often come across in our lives, be it our own anger in response to a situation or getting caught up in someone else’s annoyance. All in all anger is like an acid; corrosive, and it will do us all well to control the spray or anyone can get hurt.

Entertaining vexation often leads us to have angry thoughts, often vindictive ones and thus we want to get back at the people that hurt us.

The strange thing is that we live in a society that upholds anger as some sort of necessary virtue and some people like to believe that being angry is equivalent to being strong. So they say things like 'Don't forgive that person, you're stronger than that.' When truth of the matter is, it takes strength to forgive a person rather than to stay angry with them. In fact, if you want to see a truly weak person, look to a person that cannot forgive offenses.

Remember that nothing in life is worth getting angry over. It is said, "Anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die". So try to be calm and patient because in the end you will only end up hurting yourself and that’s not what God wants for you (and for the record, he doesn't want you to hurt anyone else either).

In order to get over your temper all you need to do is have understanding. So whatever is causing your anger, pull it apart. Keep calm and make sense out of it. Remember, life is about perception. 

If you're angry because of something someone else has done think, maybe they didn’t do it on purpose; talk to them about it, even if it’s for the hundredth time, and let it go.   

If it’s your finances, remember that God has been taking care of you thus far and he will continue to do so until you die, so don’t get frustrated, things aren’t as bad as they seem.

If it’s another person that gets you upset, try to stay away from them or if you can’t avoid them ask God to take them out of your life or to give you the patience to deal with them.

If it's something you can't change, all the more reason to pray about it and let it go. 

I like how Proverbs 19:11 puts it, it says "Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook offense."

What that is essentially saying is that a person that has a good understanding of situations wouldn't get angry quickly because they understand that anger is just another fleeting feeling that we have and also because they understand that it is wiser to solve problems peacefully. Since anger gives rise to so many other bitter traits, it is easier to end things peacefully, and in doing so at least for sure one of you would be at peace.  

Aristotle; a famous philosopher once said:

“Anybody can become angry-that is easy, but to angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way- that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.”

So let's try today and everyday to keep peace in our hearts by having understanding and not getting angry over trivial matters, let's keep forgiving overlooking offenses and moving on quickly.