Anger is a Choice

Anger is a Choice

I remember very well the day

God taught me about anger.

It happened when I was a young boy.

I had done something

to make my brother upset,

so much so,

that he threw a potato peeler at me.

He was in the kitchen

and I was on the couch

in the living room.

The potato peeler struck me

behind the ear. 

I knew I could never catch him,

if I were to run after him.

So, I chose to instantly fall to the floor

as if I were knocked out.

My brother was always smarter than me;

and in that moment

he had the wisdom

to run out the back door.

I laid there on the floor

waiting for my brother to come back

and check on me,

but he didn’t.

As I laid there planning

how I would beat him up

(kill him)

God spoke to me.

God said,

“In the same way

you can control your anger

to kill your brother,

you can control your anger

to forgive him.”

Sin was crouching at my door;

And I had to master it!

God spoke to me

and showed me

I could control my anger.

I can turn it on

and I can turn it off.

Writing this makes me sad

and ashamed.

I love my brother

and I hate to think

of what our lives would be like

if I had not controlled my anger.

All the blessing

my brother and I

have been to each other

over far more than

40 years since that time…

Would be 40 + years of curses!

I could never be more sorry

and glad at the same time.

Don’t be like Cain.

You can control your anger.

Scripture Reading

Genesis 4:1-16 NIV

4:1 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.

 She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."

2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.

3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.

The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.

So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?

7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field."

And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"

"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen!

Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground,

which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.

You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.

14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence;

I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain,

he will suffer vengeance seven times over."

Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence

and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.