Proverbs 15:18 (NRSV)

Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention.

We seem to be surrounded by anger lately—contentious politicians, screaming pundits,  angry neighbors, and impatient drivers. There are certainly reasons to be upset, but acting out in anger seldom solves anything.  

As the mother of boys, I have had many opportunities to calm contention. When they were  fighting with each other, I never thought, “Well, if I get angry, too, they’ll stop.” We all know we can’t diffuse anger with more anger, but that doesn’t mean we’re not tempted.  

This proverb reminds us that angry people create strife, and those to are slow to anger calm contention. I think we all recognize the truth in the proverb, but it is oh-so-easy to respond in anger.  

Email and social media provide even more temptation. We can spew vile statements from behind a keyboard without seeing the consequences of our actions. If we spew that venom on  social media, we can really stir some strife. With algorithms that prioritize clicks, interactions with angry or misleading posts only ensure that even more people will see them.  

In an environment primed to promote discord, how can we remain slow to anger? How can we calm contention?  

My practice involves a pause. The more offended or angry I am, the longer the pause needs to be.  

One exceptional leader I worked with relayed how he responded to a situation at work that made him furious. The anger was precipitated by an email, so he proceeded to type his anger-filled response. He said, “But I didn’t hit send, and that’s the important part.” He saved his response, went home for the day, and sent a much calmer and reasoned response the next morning. It was an excellent example of slowing down to calm contention.  

For me, social media requires a different tactic. As a professional communicator, I loathe mis- and disinformation. I have to go beyond the pause and simply not respond. While I  really want to respond, I know that any comment or emoji just ensures that even more people see the erroneous information.  

Let us endeavor to calm contention rather than stir strife. Our world certainly needs less strife.  

Let us pray.  

Lord, we see strife in this world, and we are often tempted to contribute to it. Help us to be slow to anger and thoughtful in our interactions so that peace may be on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. 

This devotional was written by Kathryn King and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.