Not many can get under my skin. Besides the inconsiderate drivers on the road, I am usually more patient with people that I deal with and meet. But today someone managed to do so, and he got in real deep.
I meet lots of people everyday and I’m not referring face-to-face. I meet lots of people online every single day, as I manage my sites and businesses. Part of what I do requires me to make connections in business forums, and this particular member there was just outright disrepectful, rude and arrogant. He made personal attacks at me when I disagreed with his opinions in a professional manner. He continued with his rotten attitude even in private messages despite my attempts to be civil when I respond. He is really the sort of person that any normal person will agree that he is way out of line.
Well, this person got to me and got to me good. When it first started, I was infuriated and while my better sense told me to cool off before responding, I could not get him out of my head. After several hours of cooling off, I responded professionally only to be met with an equally rude and arrogant response. My temperature rose again after taking several hours to cool. I prayed and asked for strength and usually I will reason to myself that he is another person loved by God and is just being blinded by the enemy. And usually that is sufficient for me to get over it. But not for this guy. It was so much more difficult when you are dealing with a through-and-through unreasonable and pompous guy. Ever experienced someone like that?
Tonight as I did my QT, I asked for forgiveness if I had responded less lovingly than God had wanted and I asked for His strength to deal with this guy if he continues to provoke me. I searched through the Scriptures about what God says about anger, in order to remind myself. Here are a few that I found:
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”
- Jas 1:19-20“I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”
- 1 Tim 2:8“But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
- Col 3:8
So I guess it is obvious that God is telling me that I need to remove this anger within me (not that it is bothering me that much now) but I recognize that I should not allow the enemy such an easy route to bother me. I did try telling myself that this is the enemy’s ploy and I should not allow such a person to affect my spirits. But no matter how hard I try, he did affect me and it took time to get him out of my system. Perhaps this is also a reminder to myself that I need His peace, strength, patience and love and I cannot do it all by myself no matter how hard I try.
Perhaps you have been in the same place as me before or are going through a similar situation right now. I encourage you FIRST, not to respond in anger. Take time to cool down and turn your ‘hot-head’ over to the Lord and tell Him to help you before you blew your top. You will find that responding in a loving manner is much easier after some time. However, I’m still working towards a level of maturity such that I will not allow the enemy to affect me no matter what he says. I think that today has been a moulding process for me and I believe that after this episode, I’m much better equipped to handle the fiery darts that the enemy throws my way.
Care to share some of your own anger experiences?
