THINK TOGETHER.
Are you quick tempered?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 14:17. A man of quick temper acts foolishly.
Do you know anybody that is quick tempered? That means that they get mad very easily. They blow up. They lose their cool. Maybe you are quick tempered yourself.
God is not quick tempered. Yes, God gets angry, but he gets angry very slowly. Over and over again the Bible describes God as “slow to anger.” God never just blows up or loses his cool. His anger is always thought out; it is even good.
You see, having anger is not a sin, but being quick tempered is. And there’s a big difference. Like we said, even God gets angry. Jesus got angry. But Jesus didn’t lose his temper. No, he was always in control of his feelings. And his anger was always for the good of others, it was never foolish, and it never hurt anyone. For example, in Mark’s gospel chapter 3, we are told that Jesus was angry, so what did he do? He healed a man with a bad hand. His anger at sin and sickness made him do good, not bad.
Can you remember the last time you lost your temper? What were you angry about? Were you angry because you didn’t get your way? Or maybe you thought you were being treated unfairly. But those are selfish reasons for getting angry and losing our temper, aren’t they?
With Jesus we don’t have to seek our own way. And we don’t have to lose our temper when we don’t get what we want. We can trust that Jesus is looking out for us. He’ll make sure we get what we need. Jesus loves us and will never fail us. He is angry for us. So let Jesus be angry, not you.
Because of Jesus we don’t have to fight for our own way.
With Jesus we can control our temper.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
One of the ways to teach kids to control their temper is to give them permission to be angry, and the space to express anger. Create a safe space (even a literal space) where your kids can express what is making them angry before they lose their temper. Even now let your kids express what made them angry today.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, sometimes I lose my temper and get angry. Help me to trust you to be angry for me and fight for what I need. Amen.
TLICfamily 