Before Retaliating, Calculate the Cost

In review of Proverbs 14:29 it says, “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”

Bottom Line:

Anger will cost you. So learning how to control it, and stay calm and patient is wise trait. Otherwise you will show how stupid you are.

What this means to me:

Controlling my anger, staying calm and being patient in a situation is extremely wise. Showing my temper will cause me to make mistakes and show how foolish and stupid I am.

I’ll be less likely to get angry when I realize there’s always a price for returning anger for anger. The Bible is very specific about uncontrolled anger: Proverbs 29:22: “An angry person causes trouble; a person with a quick temper sins a lot” (NCV). Proverbs 15:18: “Hot tempers cause arguments” (GN). Proverbs 14:29: “A hot temper shows great foolishness” (NLT). When I get angry, there will be a cost: I’m going to get in trouble. I’m going to sin. I’m going to cause arguments. I’m going to make mistakes. When I lose my temper, I will always lose, whether it’s respect, the love of my family, my health, or even my job.

I shouldn’t even use anger to motivate people to do the right thing. In the short run, I may get the short-term payoff. But in the long run, anger always produces more anger, more apathy, and more alienation. Anger destroys relationships faster than anything else.

So when someone starts pushing my buttons, before I retaliate, I need to ask myself, “Do I really want to do this? Do I want to make mistakes? Do I want to sin more? Do I want to cause arguments? Do I want to act foolish?”

Proverbs 14:29 says, “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.”

One thing I can do is to talk with God about what is making me angry. Also In the moment, I can always pause and count to ten. I need to remember that there is always a price for anger. Before I retaliate, I need to calculate the bigger cost of doing so.