Saturday, June 7, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

Pressure Cooker Reactions

James 1:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

My husband and I were recently discussing how the stresses of life can build up until ONE last straw can lead us to totally lose our temper. He shared an experience at work pertaining to a particularly stressful week. He said that things got progressively worse each day of this week, and he struggled to keep his anger in check.

Sadly, on the last day of his work week, he EXPLODED over something which in itself was not a very big deal. However, added to the other situations, it was the catalyst that caused his unfortunate reaction. A reaction that he regretted the moment it occurred. A reaction that he was unable to "take back" EVEN THOUGH he tried to clean up the mess with a heartfelt apology to all who were present.

As we discussed this incident, I was reminded of the cooking process involved with my pressure cooker. I do have to mention that I LOVE my pressure cooker, but I realize that great care has to be taken when using it. I understand that if the pressure becomes too much for the cooker to hold inside, an explosion that has the potential of an injury as well a huge mess in the kitchen could occur.

Today's verse provides beneficial advice for all of us. We are advised to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because our anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Imagining the huge mess that would be produced by an exploding pressure cooker, I realized that this mess is very similar to the mess that we can create through our uncontrolled anger.

That same mess could be avoided by turning to God when in turmoil. He tells us in Psalm 50:15 to "call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me."

My challenge to you today is to emulate God's actions. Psalm 145:8 gives us the following direction "The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness." By doing so, we could then produce the righteousness that He desires for our lives.

Dear Lord, I ask that you help me to turn to You when the stresses of life are coming at me from all directions. Keep my anger contained....Help me to react as You would.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.