An Associated Press story I read yesterday takes the stupidity of some crimes to a whole new level. Apparently Sunday, in San Antonio, Texas, a man became so enraged at a Taco Bell that he attempted to shoot three people, one employee at the restaurant and two police officers during a stand off at a local hotel. What was the cause of his deep seeded anger? The price of his favorite burritos went up $.50 apiece. You can’t make this stuff up! How ridiculous have some people gotten in our world to end up being charged with three counts of attempted capital murder over some Beefy Crunch Burritos?
This story is an extreme. Most people do not become this mad over something this little, thus we have the habit of laughing at such lunacy. However, to a lesser degree, how often are we guilty of the same thing? How many times has a husband lashed out in anger at his wife because supper wasn’t on the table when he got home from work that one night? How many wives have literally screamed at their husbands because he was in a hurry one morning and forgot to put his wet towel over the shower door? How often have parents become incensed with rage because their children brought home one bad test score? How often has a customer been disrespectful to a waiter/waitress because they went a few minutes too long without getting a refill on their drink? The times in which we lash out in anger often can be attributed to a build up of emotion over a long period of time that is finally triggered by one of these events, but such is still not an excuse for that kind of behavior. God does not want our lives to be consumed by wrath as it oftentimes is. Notice a few verses concerning that fact:
- Ephesians 4:26 – “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath…”
- Ephesians 4:31 – “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice…”
- Colossians 3:8 – “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
- James 1:19-20 – “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
These verses, and others, put the gravity of our emotions into a clear perspective. Our attitudes toward others affects God’s attitude toward us. We shake our heads in bewilderment at the thought that the man mentioned above is willing to risk his freedom for the sake of unjustified anger, but too many times we are willing to risk our souls for the same!
-Andy Brewer
This is great. Thanks for helping me rethink how I react to things so trivial. May we always remember to think before we speak. Thanks for this message. From today on I am going to try to think, laugh, walk in the others shoes, before I lash out. May God help me to overcome unjust anger. – Cindy Gaylord