Slow Down

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. ~James 1:19

When my child stands on her bed, fully clothed, and pees and then tells me that I better clean that up...when she takes half-an-hour to clean up the bucket of coins that she dumped all over the floor...when my dog dumps over the trash can when I'm late for work...when the cashier at the store is too busy telling her life story to check someone out in a reasonable amount of time...This is the verse that I need to have tattooed to the inside of my eyelids.

I struggle with this one soooo much. And most of you that know me, probably don't see it. I'm the person that gets embarrassed when the person I'm with complains at a restaurant or store. I'm the one that can't stand it when people are rude or disrepectful to others. But I do lose it...when no one's watching. I lose it on my dog. I lose it (very occasionally) on my child. Nothing can stop me from passionately singing the latest worship song on K-Love faster than that chick in the silver VW going 25 mph on the rural portion of Newtown Pike (where the speed limit is 55 mph!). Would I ever beat my child or my dog? NO! Would I ever beat the lady in the VW, or even just curse her to her face? NO!

So why is it that peoples' opinions affect my behavior, especially my anger, but God's opinion doesn't? Why is it that their feelings are of deep concern to me, but I don't seem to care that my angry actions break his heart?

I pray that I would be a better mother, wife, daughter, friend and servant by remembering this verse...that I would keep in mind that although God is all-powerful, he is not beyond pain. His greatest joy is seeing me living his purpose and convincing others to do the same...and my anger, seen by others or not, is always a disappoinment to him.