“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”
This verse is repeated almost exactly later in Proverbs. Scripture in numerous places deals with the hot tempered person and the damage they tend to do to themselves as well as those who are around them. I often told my children that it takes two to fight. If only one fights it’s just noise or perhaps bullying. As the hot tempered person tends to elicit a similar response God and Solomon remind us that patiently allowing that persons anger to subside rather than responding to it is a powerful gift. It is also a much needed sign of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The first descriptor of love in Corinthians is that it is patient. How much pain and brokenness in the world could be avoided by patient, loving Christ followers. Often the one needing patience is the innocent victim of the outraged person. That is why it is such a powerful, even supernatural, gift to all of us. As we age we often begin to recognize what a beautiful thing it is when a person in the face of an irrational explosion remains the picture of calm patience. As the hot tempered person ages they often learn to temper their angry out bursts. No one is more grateful for that than the angry person themselves. It is a sign of the indwelling spirit when the character trait of anger is replaced by the fruit of the spirit, patience. Today allow God’s Spirit to control your responses in a world desperate for peace keepers. #BeTheEdge
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”Psalms 34:14 NIV
