“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

Subtle words of wisdom from my Grandmother concerning anger went something like this: “James (that’s me), if you’re mad you’re wearing the same shoes to get glad in”. Well, this would stop me in my tracks and start me to thinking about my shoes and wonder just what it was about my shoes that made me mad. I then would forget what I was mad about and go on playing. As we get older, when we get angry, it’s sometimes not as easy to forget and even harder to forgive; however, we know we should do both. We must remember verse 26 in the first Chapter of James in all we do and say, and that is “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless”.

DEAR GOD, HELP ME TO BECOME SLOW TO ANGER AND TO ALWAYS LISTEN AND REMEMBER THE GREAT WORDS YOU HAVE GIVEN US IN THE BIBLE. IN CHRIST JESUS’ NAME, I PRAY IN LOVE. AMEN.

– Shared by Jim Batts