Emotions are a gift from God. Jesus was glad when the little children were brought to Him. He was sad when He stood at the tomb of Lazarus. He was angry when He drove the moneychangers from the Temple. Like other emotions, anger is an emotion we all feel. Have you been angry this week? It isn’t whether we get angry; it is how we handle the anger. When your temper gets the best of you, people see the worst in you! Anger is the wind that blows out the lamp of the mind. We forget what we are doing and say and do things we shouldn’t.
The Arizona Republic reported that when Steve Tran of Westminster, Calif., closed the door on 25 activated bug bombs, he thought he had seen the last of the cockroaches that shared his apartment. When the spray reached the pilot light of the stove, it ignited, blasted his screen door across the street, broke all of his windows and set his furniture ablaze. “I really wanted to kill all of them,” he said. “I thought if I used a lot more, it would last longer.” According to the label, just two canisters of the fumigant would have solved Tran’s roach problem. The blast caused over $10,000 damage to his apartment building. Tran also reported that by Sunday he saw the cockroaches walking around.
It is amazing the number of situations in which we overkill and yet still don’t handle the problem. US News and World Report says that the number one emotion that characterizes America today is the emotion of anger. Anger is just one letter away from danger.
Two flies were buzzing around a messy kitchen table that had the remains of a recently prepared bologna sandwich. The knife used to slice the bologna was covered with little particles of meat. The two flies started at the tip of the knife and ate their way to the handle. Then they flew away, only to become dizzy and fall to the floor dead! The moral of the story is: Don’t fly off the handle when you’re full of bologna.
The fact is that we all feel anger sometimes. Did you realize that it is difficult to be angry and thankful at the same time? When the Bible talks about putting off anger, it says to speak in psalms — sing and make melody in your heart.
A mother was doing all she could to prepare her three-year-old son for the arrival of a new sibling. After discovering that the new baby was a girl, Michael sang to his sister night after night in his mommy’s tummy. The pregnancy progressed normally and the labor began. The contractions were every five minutes … then one minute. There were complications during delivery, but finally Michael’s baby sister was born — but in serious condition. The sirens wailed in the night as the ambulance rushed her to the neonatal intensive care unit of a city hospital. The days inched by, and she continued to worsen. The pediatric specialist told the parents that there was little hope and to prepare for the worst. They had decorated her room, but now they prepared for a funeral. Michael begged his parents to let him see his new sister. He wanted to sing.
During the second week of the hospital stay, it looked as if a funeral was imminent. Michael continued to beg to sing to his sister, but the ICU didn’t allow children. Karen determined that she would take Michael to see his sister — rules or no rules. Little Michael was dressed in oversized scrubs and he marched into the ICU. He looked like a little laundry basket walking into the unit. The head nurse bellowed that kids weren’t allowed. The usually mild-mannered Karen glared steel-eyed at the nurse (appropriate anger) and told her that Michael would not leave until he sang to his sister. Michael gazed at the tiny infant and began to sing: “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray.” Instantly she responded, and her pulse steadied to normal. Keep on singing, Michael. “You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away … .”
The ragged, strained breathing became smooth as a kitten’s purr. Keep on singing, Michael! “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms … .” Michael’s little sister relaxed and rested, with healing rest sweeping over her. Keep on singing, Michael. Tears conquered the face of the bossy head nurse. Karen’s face glowed. “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don’t take my sunshine away.” Plans for a funeral were stopped, and the next day — the very next day — she was well enough to go home. The article was called “The Miracle of a Brother’s Song.” Karen called it a miracle of God’s love.
There are a lot of sick people in the world, physically and emotionally, and we would like to give them a dose of their own medicine. Rather, give them a dose of God’s medicine. Keep on singing; they just might get well. The best way to manage your mad is to regulate your malice with His melody.