Day 31: Temper

 

Nothing drives me crazier than dirty dishes filling up the sink when the dishwasher is dirty!  It's funny how the littlest things can make our temper flare and send us off the edge.  Every once in a while, after a long day of being very patient with teenagers at school, it doesn't take much to be the straw that broke this camel's back.  We have a tendency to keep very close track of our "Annoyance Meters," it can be very difficult to remember that every other person you interact with in a day doesn't know the tally of how many times your patience has already been tried...

I think Adam would tell you that I have mellowed out a lot over the past 10 years.  When we first started dating I was extremely Type A and he was extremely Type B - we have slowly rubbed off on each other and we're both much closer to the happy middle ground of having high expectations while still being able to go with the flow.  Sometimes you just have to take a deep breath, put yourself in the other person's shoes, and ask yourself "How will I make them feel if I say what I want to say to them - and is it important enough to me to make that impact?"     

James 1

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

²⁶ If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.