By Ronda Knuth
“.
. . the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Matthew 12:34b (NIV)
When angry, are you a stewer or a spewer? Both, unmanaged, can turn your world
on end.
It fell to me to teach each of my four children how to drive. We spent many
an hour in the local cemetery driving up and down the streets that ran between
the headstones. We practiced right turns, left turns, merging, and U-turns. With
little traffic, going the wrong way on a one-way street wasn’t such a big deal.
It was the perfect place to learn. Once we had the basics down, we took it
to neighborhood streets, then the dreaded freeway. It’s been years since my
eldest son Paul was the pupil and I the teacher. Even now, he says, that there
are times when he is driving and my words come to him, “Preferring one another
in love, son. Preferring one another.” (Romans 12:10)
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| Ronda Knuth |
Getting a handle on anger is a prerequisite for safe driving. It’s
important for non-toxic living too. Failure to control internal anger will eat
you alive. Failure to control external anger will eat others
alive.
Dr. Ravi Zacharias, who grew up in New Delhi, India, tells a story about
his father, who was well known in the city where they lived – some esteemed him,
others knew him for his volatile temper. One evening he exploded in a fit of
anger. His wife and children bore the brunt of his rage.
A teen, Ravi thought they should go to a neighbor for help. Mother said no.
She did not want to harm her husband’s reputation. She chose, instead, to
quietly bear the discomfort. She believed that, “When your basket is bumped,
what spills out defines your character.”
What’s in your basket?
Scripture has much to say about anger:
"A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under
control." (Proverbs 29:11)
"In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still
angry." Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger ... along with every form of
malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)
“[Act on What You Hear] Post this at all the intersections, dear friends:
Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in
the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all
spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our
gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your
life.” James 1:21 MSG
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is
helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit
those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)
How well do you handle anger? If I bumped your basket today, what would
spill out?
Prayer:
“Kind
words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim. (Proverbs 15:4). Let the
words of my mouth and mediation of my heart be acceptable in your sight Lord.
You are my strength and my
redeemer. (Psalm 19:14). Amen”
-- Reprinted with permission from The Way: Christianity Without Walls
Bio:
Ronda Knuth lives in Lakewood, CO, with her husband Rob.
She is a mother of four, grandmother of four, and mother-in-love of three.
Ronda Knuth received the Sunrise Senior Living 2013
Western Region ‘Joy in Service Award’, The company recognized her dedication, to
making the Sunrise Senior Living at Pinehurst Denver, Colorado, residents’ lives
the happiest and best they can be. Her first published book, When Memory Fades:
Sunrise Stories from Real People, is available in both print and Kindle
editions.
Her
second book, Breathe: This Too Shall Pass is also available in both print and
Kindle editions.
“In Breathe: This Too Shall Pass, Ronda has captured the isolation that so many of us feel in life’s experiences, and reminded us we are not alone. We can take the encouragement of this book, and find a resolve, that can lead us through the circumstances that seem to overwhelm us.”- Dr. Vince Gappa
“In Breathe: This Too Shall Pass, Ronda has captured the isolation that so many of us feel in life’s experiences, and reminded us we are not alone. We can take the encouragement of this book, and find a resolve, that can lead us through the circumstances that seem to overwhelm us.”- Dr. Vince Gappa
Her personal
life story has been told in, "The Unmasking: Married to a Rapist" by author
Kevin Flynn and in "The Triumph Book: Stories of Tragedy Turned into Triumph" by
author Melanie Davis. Learn more about
Ronda at her website: http://rondasrestingplace.net
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