Being angry over things because they don't go as we would like is really a choice. We can choose to see each challenge as an opportunity to practice patience and kindness.
I know this because of the many times I was tempted to be upset that something didn't happen on time or as I desired. It was the Holy Spirit Who restrained any outward expression of anger and then cleansed me of the temptation to be angry.
Anger does nothing, except if expressed in the faces of others to cause more unnecessary conflict. When we care about others we take into account their needs in our expectations. In fact, I find it better not to have expectations of others, this eliminates all frustration when things don't happen our way.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
Patience and love go hand in hand. When we show patience we are demonstrating a desire to understand the hearts of others.
Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
Has anyone come to Christ because someone else shouted at them or mocked and demeaned them as an attempt to motivate them,......NO, people do not see Christ in us when we act no better than the ugly unrestrained world.
Showing patience is evidence that we are trusting in Christ for the outcomes of things we cannot figure out for ourselves. It shows love to those who might not otherwise experience the love of Christ in their lives.
Psalm 27:14
"Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."
There is strength associated with patience. Only the weak worry about every detail. I have been weak many times wishing something would happen when I wanted it to happen. I have learned there is very little accomplished according to our own desires, we might as well calm down and carry on with the other things in our lives.
Colossians 3:12
"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
Romans 15:5
"May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had."
Perhaps we ought to be more concerned about our Christian witness than we are about "getting things done our way in our time."
Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."
Then there is peace all the time in everything. Hallelujah
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