The Telegraph published the results of a poll on ‘The top 100 most annoying things’. I’m not going to go through the whole list but the top 10 included the following – count on your fingers how many of these apply to you, how many do you find really, really annoying?
- Chavs (person typified by brash/loutish behaviour and wearing of real/imitation designer clothes)
- Tailgaters: people driving really close behind you.
- Bad body odour: people who smell
- People who eat with their mouth open.
- Rude shop assistants.
- Foreign call centres
- Stepping in dog poo!
- People who cough and do not cover their mouths.
- Slow internet connections.
- Poor customer service.
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How many scored more than 5? How many scored 10? If you scored 10 chances are you have some real anger issues… come received prayer for healing later!
The Telegraph, 3rd Sept 2009
When I have lost my temper I have lost my reason, too.
I’m never proud of anything which angrily I do.
When I have talked in anger and my cheeks are flaming red,
I have always uttered something which I wish I hadn’t said.
In anger I have never done a kindly deed or wise,
But many things for which I felt I should apologise.
In looking back across my life, and all I’ve lost or made,
I can’t recall a single time when fury ever paid.
So I struggle to be patient, for I’ve reached a wiser age;
I do not want to do a thing or speak a word in rage.
I have learned by sad experience that when my temper flies
I never do a worthy thing, a decent deed or wise.
Anon.
The third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, said, ‘When angry, count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.’ Someone else said, we should learn a lesson from the space shuttle and always count down before blasting off! Count to a hundred! Problem is, when we are very angry we tend to go something like this… 1, 2 miss a few 99, 100, and jump in, all guns blazing! When our emotions are damaged we often react the same way a wounded animal would; we lash out. Pressing the pause button requires self-control, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. We need to practice self-control.
Anger is always just one letter away from Danger
“I lose my temper, but it’s all over in a minute,” said the student. “So is the hydrogen bomb,” I replied. “But think of the damage it produces!”
George Sweeting
An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.
Proverbs 29:22
A gentle answer turns away wrath but harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Your temper is one of your most valuable possessions. Don’t lose it!
He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
Proverbs 13:3
Man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
James 1:20
It is well established today that many people are killed by their own anger.
“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
Excerpt from The Baptist Beacon
“Anybody can become angry – that is easy; but to be 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.”
Aristotle (384-322bc)
Those who fly into a rage always end up crash landing.
The danger with email is that it enables people to respond very quickly when they are angry. However, by sounding off, you run the risk of making the finest speech you’ll ever regret! You are never persuasive when you’re abrasive! Leave it overnight. Read it again in the morning. Pressing the pause button gives us time to reflect.
‘The right way to express anger is to talk to God about it. Tell him all about the way you feel and ask him to help you manage your feelings properly. One thing that helps me deal properly with anger is to realize that sometimes God permits people to irritate me in order to help me grow in patience and unconditional love. The offending person’s bad behaviour is not right but God often uses them as sandpaper to smooth away rough edges in our lives. You see, God is more concerned about changing our characters than he is about changing our circumstances to make them comfortable for us.’
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer, 2011, Living Beyond Your Feelings, London: Hodder & Stoughton, p.136-137
