PROVERBS 16
30 Whoever winks his eyes plan dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
– Proverbs 16:30-33
PROVERBS 16 WHEN ONE IS SLOW TO ANGER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When one has patience and can control his temper
He is better than the strong and the mighty
When one isn’t easily provoked, he will gain friends
But the one who is quick to get angry is avoided
Whoever exercises control over his mouth and emotions
He is stronger because he does not give in to dysregulation.
There are some things that are hard to control in our lives. One of them is our tongue. The book of James explains in chapter 3 that the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. He says that animals can be tamed but the tongue of man is untameable. It is a restless evil full of deadly poison and is set on fire by hell. So, since we all have a tongue that is impossible to be tamed, it is probably wise for us know how to control our mouths. From the same mouth we can either bless or curse someone. When we are angry, most likely the tongue will manifest it through harsh or cruel words and can be followed by the hand or other parts of our bodies that can hurt others. Anger in itself is not a sin but Paul says in Ephesians 4:26-27 “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil”. No wonder Solomon stresses the importance of being slow to anger and how valuable it is. He thinks that when one is slow to anger, he is stronger than the mighty.
REFLECTION
- How is controlling our mouths the beginning of controlling anger?
