Goodbook messages arrive every Monday, Thursday, and Friday with a
Scripture reading and ideas for how to apply the reading in our lives. We are
reading through the book of Acts. For additional Scripture reading, you can
follow the Advanced Track.Reading: Acts 17:5-6
(Advanced Track: Hosea)
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.
Application:
The angry crowd was upset with Paul and Silas. Not for good reason, but they were still angry. They couldn’t find Paul and Silas, so they took out their anger on the person they could find, a man by the name of Jason. Poor Jason was probably a really nice guy. He had welcomed Paul and Silas to stay in his house. Yet he was taking the brunt of the anger because he was the person there.
Have you ever taken out your anger on the wrong person? You may be upset with one person and then take it out on another person because they are the ones nearest to you. Sometimes our families and loved ones get the brunt of our anger simply because they are the closest target.
I heard a woman describing just such a scenario from her home. One day she had a really rough day in the office. One of her co-workers was really bugging her. Rather than address the person she was upset with, she allowed the anger to build inside her. By the time she came home, she was boiling with anger. She came in the house and immediately snapped at her oldest daughter. The oldest daughter then got in a fight with their middle daughter. The middle daughter teased their youngest daughter. And the youngest daughter pulled the dog’s tail.
Do you see how misplaced anger can create a snowball effect? I have noticed myself doing this at times. I may come home from work bothered or upset about something I’ve let fester inside of me. I end up being short or even short-tempered with my wife and son. Have you ever done this? This is not fair our loved ones. So how can we curb our displaced anger? Here are two ideas…
1) When something bothers you, address it immediately with the person involved. Maybe say, “I’m sure you did not mean it this way, but that thing you said or that thing you did really upset me. Can we talk about this?”
2) Before we reunite with loved ones following time apart, do a self-check. Ask, “How am I feeling? Am I carrying any emotions from my day that might negatively impact my family?” Take a deep breath and let out any pent up emotions. Be upfront with family members if we’ve had a difficult day. This might lead to some positive, healthy conversations.
Share your comments and ideas about how to apply this…
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