You’ve seen it before. A child gets mad because he didn’t get his way. Or she got angry with her friend and soon it turned into a temper tantrum. Maybe there was a time when you were that child.

I was an “only” child which means I didn’t have siblings to help me practice being angry and learn how to handle it.  We moved often with my dad’s job, so I had to quickly make friends in each new place.

I got along, loved my parents, and basically adapted. I made a profession of faith at age 8, not a perfect child, but obedient, made new friends, and blended in.

However, what happened at age 12 made an indelible image in my mind. I sat in 6th grade chorus singing away, when the girl behind me got a hold of my stretch belt through the gap in my folding chair. She yanked it out and let it snap back in place. I did a moderate frown over my shoulder, but went back to singing.

Not more than a verse later, she repeated her little prank. I looked around and gave her my firmest frown. By the third time, I shot a “Quit it!” at her. Chorus was over and we met in the restroom. Our talk ended up in a shouting match which included scratching each others arms with fingernails. Yes, your sweet blog writer in a fighting match!

That’s about all I remember, but the incident is still imprinted in my mind all these years later. It became my memory of losing my temper and the awful way I felt about it later. I had disppointed my parents, but even worse, I had failed my heavenly Father with my behavior.

Through the years, when I became angry, my mind would flip back to that 6th grade incident. I learned to control angry feelings before they became temper tantrums. Scripture has much to say about temper.

Like a city whose walls are broken down is man (or woman) who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

. . . let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate . . . I Thessalonians 5:8

In Titus 2, Paul encourages Titus to teach:

. . . men to be temporate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith.

. . . women to be reverent in the way they live.

. . . young women to love their families, be self-controlled, and pure.

. . . young men to be self-controlled, show integrity, soundness of speech.

Notice the common phrase, “self-control.”

So I bring to you today thoughts about any times when you leaned into temper tendencies. May you find God’s strength to sense those leanings and turn on your self-control button that the Lord is glad to give you. No more temper tantrums!

~ Joyce ~