Irritating circumstances don’t just happen. They are purposed by God to force you to examine your heart, confess wrong responses, and then draw closer to Jesus Christ.
Hi, I’m Joni, and oh, my goodness, it seems everyone is angry!
The other day I had to drive down the 101 Freeway to make an 11:00 a.m. appointment in Burbank. I thought I had given myself plenty of time, but you never can count on traffic in Los Angeles. Okay, so, things were moving pretty slowly, even in the fast lane, and I was beginning to run out of time. It was ten minutes before 11:00 and here I was, stuck on the freeway more than ten miles from my destination. The traffic report on KNX News Radio was telling me that there was this big, orange couch in the slow lane – in LA, if it’s not a couch, it’s a mattress, or a truckload of oranges that’s overturned! Well, hearing this news about the couch did not help one bit. And I felt tension begin to rise. I also felt myself getting frustrated at my friend, who was just inching along 20 yards behind the vehicle in front of us. “Can’t you go faster?!” Tried not to sound harsh, but we both knew that my words were tinged with anger. And I felt terrible for saying it that way!
Okay, so let’s stop right here. When things like this happen, what is anger telling us? Well, if you find yourself mentally griping over the problem or the people involved, it tells you something about your heart. Anger, griping, grumbling, all of it describes your true motives in any situation. If you are irritable inside, wanting things to go your way, it could reveal pride, or maybe greed, or discontent with God and his control of circumstances. Take my problem on the 101 Freeway. Pride was part of the issue because I was ashamed of showing up late. Selfishness was involved because I was irritated with the way my friend was driving. But down deep, mistrust was at the root of it all, because I felt as though God had forgotten me in the middle of LA traffic. Basically, I needed to trust that God was in control. He was in control of the time, the traffic, and the way my friend was driving. And although I did arrive a half hour late for my appointment, it was clear to me why: God is always more interested in confronting me with my pride and my selfishness than he is in my punctuality. All this to say, when we are angry or irritated, it is wise to rehearse things we know to be true about God, and especially when people or circumstances provoke annoyed feelings. And the bottom line is: God is in charge. His sovereign domain even covers Los Angeles traffic jams.
So here’s the point: irritating situations and irksome people are often placed by God in our lives to teach us lessons about himself, as well as about us. When I arrived in Burbank, I apologized to my friend, and together we prayed – I asked the Lord to help me get rid of impatience, edginess, and anxiety. And I asked him to help me next time to hold on to his grace for patience, and to trust him with every irksome situation. Irritating circumstances like bad traffic, broken washing machines, missed appointments, or bounced checks just don’t “happen.” They are purposed by God to force you and me to examine our hearts, confess wrong responses, and then draw closer to Jesus Christ. Oh, friend, if you’d like to learn more about handling anger in a constructive way, then go to joniradio.org and get a copy of my free pamphlet called “Anger: Aim it at the Right Direction.” Again, it’s free, and you can get it at joniradio.org, because everybody gets angry; it’s what we do with it and where we aim it that counts. Find out more at joniradio.org. God bless you and thanks for listening.
© Joni and Friends