In life, we are faced with many frustrating situations, and due to our culture, entitlement has become common in many personalities.
Maybe your co-worker has rubbed you the wrong way one too many times, maybe the man in front of you at the gas station is taking far too long getting his money from his wallet, or maybe your parents are constantly nagging you about one thing or another. No matter what the situation, we usually tend to be quick to retaliate and become frustrated on a whim. Although our anger seems like something we cannot control or something we are constantly experiencing, God tells us that it is a character trait we should strive to avoid.
In James 1:19, He tells us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Don't waste your fleeting life in a sea of unending bitterness. Have patience, be kind, and learn to be in control of your emotions. Don't let Satan take over and fill you with hatred and unkind thoughts. Our love for God should be greater than any other love and our lives should be centered on being more like Him in all that we do.
I know you may find this cliche, but these are times when "What Would Jesus Do?" becomes an important life lesson.
What would Jesus do when faced with a frustrating situation? Would he yell in retaliation? Would he roll his eyes, have bad body language, or use his tongue to hurt those around him?
I think we can all be in agreement that a person who is living after Jesus' example would not look to retaliate, but see it as an opportunity to practice patience. Psalm 145:8 says: "The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in loving kindness." He is slow to become angry with us and if not for that, we would be out of luck when considering our spiritual fate. Because Jesus is patient with us, we must also be patient with others.
In John 13:34, He tells us to love one another as He loves us and in order to accurately fulfill his wishes, we must start with bettering ourselves. Pray for patience, pray for a good attitude, pray to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Pray to be more like Jesus in all that you do. God will surely put people in your path to test your wishes, but in all it will help you become a child of whom God is proud.
