“Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people…”
Proverbs 22:24
I met someone new.
Light build, kinda cute, a little on the hairy side.
And whoooeee, was he angry.
Which is really, really odd. I mean, I’ve met thousands of bees. There are more than a dozen species active in my garden, and in 30 years of gardening, not one has stung me.
(Actually, I take that back. One stung me, but it was my fault. I accidentally pinched him between my finger and a hose, and he fought back. But I don’t hold it against him – it was technically done in self defence.)
Anyway, back to the angry bit.
I was wandering around in my garden, minding my own business – and here comes this aggressive little guy, buzzing back and forth in front of me. I went still – my old standby method when around bees.
Still with the buzzing. Seriously.
I did what I almost never do – backed away and left. I was getting uncomfortable, so I removed myself from the situation.
But no angry visitor has kept me out of my garden for too long.
I returned. All was well.
Until my wee friend showed up.
Again with the buzzing. Back and forth, back and forth.
Serious anger issues.
Extremely unusual behaviour for a bee. I’d never seen it in 30 years.
I beat a second hasty retreat and let Hubby know in no uncertain terms what I thought of my new friend’s behaviour.
He let me rant and listened like a pro. (He may have had prior experience to perfect his technique.) Then he sat back and quietly interjected an interesting statement.
“You do realize what you’re wearing, don’t you?”
I swear that man wasn’t listening at all. What an odd comment.
He repeated it.
I looked down.
Yeah.
Um.
I was pretty much dressed in a flower costume. Blue and beige florals, as close to a patch of delphiniums (a favourite bee snack) as you could wish.
I may as well have hung out a sign, ‘Free Bee Food Served Fresh Daily’.
Sheesh.
So he hadn’t been angry at all.
He’d been hungry.
(Hangry? I can’t be sure.)
But the little interchange reminded me that dealing with constant anger or hostility would be really rough.
Hot tempered folk don’t make very good friends. Colleagues. Business partners, roommates, or spouses.
(Or garden visitors, to be honest.)
Anger is a signal.
Oh, we all get angry. We should sometimes! Anger is a God gift. The adrenaline released gives us the energy to do the right thing when we find something wrong, unfair, or indecent.
But living there isn’t healthy. That’s when the gift gets twisted and becomes something disturbing and profoundly painful for all involved. It sure isn’t God’s intent for us.
So do choose your friends – and your shirts – wisely.
And if you are the angry one – do get help to deal with it appropriately.
Be wise when dealing with anger with me?
Father, anger can be productive, if it is directed against the right kinds of things. But it can cause turmoil, stress, and all sorts of unrighteous behaviours when we let it get out of hand. Teach us how to manage our anger properly, and give us wisdom when dealing with it in others. Amen.
Growing in Grace 