10 Steps For Dealing With AngerSample

Step 4 — Take a Time Out

I’ve often encouraged people to develop a certain habit when they feel anger rising within them. If someone or something makes you angry and you start seeing red, choose to visualize it in the shape of a stop sign. Imagine yourself at an intersection and come to a full, complete stop. Carefully consider all the directions your anger can go, then respond slowly and deliberately.

Psalm 103:8 says that God is “slow to anger.”

James 1:19 encourages everyone to be “quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.”

We must always remember that nearly every person has control over his or her thoughts, emotions, and responses at any given time. For the most part, we choose how we feel, what we think, and what we believe. When we find ourselves in situations that evoke anger, pausing to calm our emotions and seek the Lord is always the wisest course of action. As we pause to take a deep breath and bring our concerns before the Lord, He shows us the truth of our situation and, when asked in prayer, promises to show us the best way to respond, providing for us a way out in the best and godliest of ways. 

As you move through life, encountering many people and situations that can bring about the strong emotion of anger, make sure your response will always be a godly one. Remember to rule your tongue, don’t speak too quickly, consider the cost, and take a much needed time out when you need one.