Reaction Management

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”  -James 1:19-20

I was convicted recently about my lack of love and my high levels of selfishness when compared my reactions to unpleasant situations to the model we have in Scripture. According to this model, my ears should take over, not my mouth. My reason and love for people should rule, not emotion and selfishness. And why? What should my motive be? As a Christian, my focus should be to become more like Christ; so my actions (and yes, even my reactions) need to be constantly becoming more like His. I’ve heard it said that we were given two ears and one mouth, because we need to listen more and speak less. Jesus got angry, when His Father’s name and character were being trampled underfoot and misused. But he never once took offense when He was mistreated – and of all people who have ever walked this earth, He surely had the right. His goal was never to win an argument. He never strove to be the greatest. He never retaliated when prodded. He was subject to His Father, and everything He did was for His Father’s glory.

Can I say the same?

I like the way the Message version of the Bible says it:

“Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.”  -James 1:19-20

It’s a non-negotiable. God wants us to be righteous like He is, so we can show the world what He looks like; and we can’t do that unless we let Him purge us of ourselves and fill us with Himself. That takes diligence and discipline, but the result is a race well run.