Day 197: Don’t Let People Yank Your Chain

Today’s Scripture: Proverbs 19:11

Central Thought: We need to learn to overcome anger and bitterness.

My son came into the house one day crying and very upset. Some of the kids he had been playing with had purposely irritated him to see if they could get him to react. They were probably very satisfied with their efforts.

As I talked to my son and tried to comfort him, he expressed anger and bitterness at his tormentors; and those same emotions overflowed toward me. Eventually he calmed down and I was able to talk to him about letting others ‘yank his chain.” I tried to help him see that as long as he reacted by getting upset, other people would continue to harass him. I assured him that, while self-control is a hard thing to learn, it would keep him from being controlled by the actions of others.

Proverbs 19:11 states, ‘Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” When we struggle with anger and bitterness, we can ask God to help us. We have Christ as our example of how we can forgive those who mistreat us. We can also think about the patience and forgiveness God has shown to us and extend them to others. With God’s help we do not have to let others yank our chains.

Devotional Prayer: God, help me to learn to overcome anger and bitterness by following the example of Christ and extending to others the patience and forgiveness You show me.

Today’s Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30; Romans 2:25-3:8; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 19:10-12