8. Anger

 Buried Anger Will Explode

   In a 1994 article, “Wars’ Lethal Leftovers Threaten Europeans,” Associated Press reporter Christopher Burns writes: “The bombs of World War II are still killing in Europe. They turn up–and sometimes blow up–at construction sites, in fishing nets, or on beaches fifty years after the guns fell silent.

   “Hundreds of tons of explosives are recovered every year in France alone. Thirteen old bombs exploded in France last year, killing twelve people and wounding eleven, the Interior Ministry said.

   “‘I’ve lost two of my colleagues,’ said Yvon Bouvet, who heads a government team in the Champagne-Ardennes region that defuses explosives from both World War I and II. …

   “Unexploded bombs become more dangerous with time, Bouvet said. ‘With the corrosion inside, the weapon becomes more unstable, the detonator can be exposed.'”  What is true of lingering bombs is also true of lingering anger. Buried anger will explode when we least expect it.

Psalms 37:8   Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

  James 1:19   Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

.See: Ps 37:8; Ecc 7:9; Jas 1:19.

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Anger

 Humor: Remember the Feeling

  One Saturday morning I awoke to the delightful smell of waffles and the sound of our two small boys in the kitchen with my husband. Padding down to breakfast, I sat down on my husband’s lap and gave him a big hug for his thoughtfulness.

   Later that day, we were having a heated “discussion” in our bedroom when our four-year-old, Jacob, stopped us in mid-sentence. Standing in the doorway, he said, “Mommy, try to remember how you felt when you were on Daddy’s lap.”

Psalms 19:11   Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

See: Ps 37:8; Pr 19:11; Jas 1:19.

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 Anger

 Humor: Spelling Problems

  Our neighbor, Mr. Simpkin, gets frustrated with people who persist in adding a final “s” to his name. One day as he watched a clerk fill out forms while he supplied the information, he saw her make the same exasperating error. “Simpkin,” he admonished kindly but firmly; “just one ‘s.’ “

   The flustered clerk made the correction–and our neighbor stared hopelessly at her revision: “Impkins!”

Proverbs 14:17   He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

See: Ps 37:8; Pr 14:17; Ecc 7:9.

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 Anger

 Humor: Car Trouble

   Fighting rush-hour traffic from suburban Maryland to Washington D.C., can cause its share of near misses and irritating moments. One morning, a young lady darted her compact car from a side street into the stream of traffic immediately in front of a driver just a few car lengths ahead of me, forcing him to brake sharply. He avoided hitting her by inches and was obviously furious. Within seconds, traffic stopped at a red light, and I watched him pull up behind the offender, leap from his car, and stride angrily toward hers. Clearly, he intended to give her a royal bowling out.

   Seeing him coming, the very attractive young lady jumped from her car and ran to meet him–a big smile on her face! Before he could say one word or know what was happening, she had thrown her arms around him, hugged him tightly, and planted a passionate kiss on his lips! Then she was back in her car and driving away, leaving her antagonist standing in the middle of the street still speechless and looking somewhat confused and embarrassed–but no longer angry!

Proverbs 16:27   An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

See: Ps 37:8; Pr 16:32; 19:11; Ecc 7:9.

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 Anger

 Humor: A Real Ham Burglar

   Here’s another dispatch from the I.C.C. (Inept Criminals Club):

   A man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 7:50 a.m., flashed a gun and demanded cash. The clerk said he couldn’t open the cash register without a food order. When the wannabe robber ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren’t available for breakfast. The frustrated man stormed out of the restaurant.

   (I hear he headed across the street to McDonald’s, demanding an Egg-On-My-Face McMuffin.)

 

   — “Strange World,” Campus Life, Vol. 55, no. 6.

 

See: Ps 37:8; Pr 14:17; Ecc 7:9.