“You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19).
In his third directive regarding speech behavior, James concern isn’t the frustrations inhabiting daily life, but a reaction of anger that strikes out in violence, and a seething hostility that plots revenge. Such displays of anger far outlasts our hurt; doing a degree of irreparable harm, extending far beyond whatever pain or disappointment we might have experienced. For each of us, between any instance of provocation and the response we make, there is a moment of time where we actually determine what our reaction will be. The challenge we face is responding to our circumstances in a way that best represents a people being redeemed by the mercies of God.
Bobby Dagnel 