SCRIP-BITS

Ah my Friends, yuh think it easy? It’s not easy at all. Our Lord’s just on mih case, like white on rice. (smile) He seems to want me to write from personal experience a little too often for my liking. Guess He’s trying to teach me some lessons or something. For my sake I hope I learn them the first time around yes. Today I was thinking what to write about, then I got the message loud and clear. A petty, middle management public official refused to answer my page, figuring I wanted something he considered a waste of his time, when in fact I wanted something completely different. And the sad part is that when I caught up with him face to face and asked him about it, he had the boldfaced gall to tell me that’s why he never answered my call. Well children, you know the ole fella doesn’t get angry often, but when he does, it comes like a sudden bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky. And this was definitely more than one bolt people. I gave that small-minded fool a good piece of my mind. To make matters worse, I even had the right to call him about what he thought I wanted. It’s these petty, low rung people, who either don’t get proper managerial training or feel they’re king of the walk since they’re in a position with a little power, that cause small problems to be blown way out of proportion. Someday, somebody is going to call about a serious problem and he won’t answer, then when all hell breaks loose, he’ll moan and whimper about his bad luck, instead of his bad attitude. Anyway, as I said, I got the message loud and clear, that I was supposed to write about anger management, although I’m not sure I’m really qualified to do so because these days I just can’t handle nonsense. But I have to laugh Friends, for our Lord is really something else yes. A few minutes ago while I’m hurrying to get this out on time, the computer suddenly says there’s a problem and it has to shut down. Imagine my consternation. But I told myself that there’s no rule that says I must send this out by a particular time, it’s just my preference. So I kept my peace and waited until it booted itself back up and did not get angry. Wow! Aren’t you proud of me? There goes the Lord again, testing, testing; always testing. But then again, in general, I don’t do too badly. I certainly don’t lose it often to the extent I did today. But Sol, in all his wisdom, did state that; ‘The discretion of a man deferreth his anger.’ In other words, his wisdom, his understanding of life and his association with the Most High God, makes him slow to anger. James seems to agree when he advises: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) Would you believe the stupid computer shut down on me again? Ah Lord eh! But I kept my peace, because I know it’s a test and I want to pass it. However my Friends, it’s not easy to bite one’s tongue and withhold your anger in the face of so much negative situations in our world these days. And I know there are many of Sol’s sayings that teach holding one’s anger. For example: ‘He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly.’ (Prov.14:16) ‘A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.’  (Prov.15:1-2) That’s certainly true, for if that public official had greeted me with a less antagonistic attitude, I would not have lost it like I did. There, I put the blame on him. (smile) What made me lose it too, is that we’ve dealt with each other before, and he knows that I don’t call him for frivolous stuff. Then there’s the admonition; ‘Be not hasty in thy spirit, to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools’ (Eccl.7:9) Meanwhile, the second part of the Bit says: ‘and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.’ That’s true too: It says much about a person big enough to overlook a wrong. That’s why Bruh Paul encourages us to ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice:’ (Eph.4:31) But my brethren, there’s also a negative flip side to that coin, whereby if we internalize our anger too much, then it begins to eat away at our insides, our peace of mind and emotional balance. That’s why some behavioural experts believe it’s good every so often to get that anger, the negative emotions off our chests and thereby cleanse and refresh our spirits, for anything negative that’s stirred up too long will most certainly fester and rot, causing a rather unhealthy situation in the bearer. Like I’m fond of saying, those negative emotions are like acid in a plastic bottle; it only eats away the container. No, you can never hear that too often children. (smile) The important thing to remember my people is that we’re humans, mortals, thus fallible, but the Good Lord wants us to control our spirit, our emotions as much as we can. And if He sees that we’re sincerely trying, then He’ll be more than willing to forgive us. Remember, it’s all about the rightness of our hearts. So with those few words of wisdom, (smile) I’ll leave you to contemplate greater wisdom than mine: Sol and Bruh Paul’s ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov.16:32) ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:32) Much LOVE my people!…bite yuh tongue…as often as yuh can…