Jacob Glassner

I went to Evangel Christian School from fourth through 12^th grade, and being a small school, I had many of the same classmates for nine years. Just about any time I get together with old friends, it seems like I hear: “Remember that time Jacob threw a chair in seventh grade?”

It wasn’t my finest moment. It’s right up there with: “Remember that time Jacob puked in fourth grade?” But that’s another story.

Back in seventh grade study hall I was putting the finishing touches on my Spanish-American War research paper for Mrs. Wallen’s history class. I stayed up late the night before carefully transcribing my rough draft with a blue pen and drawing three illustrations—a map of Cuba, Roosevelt charging Kettle Hill and the sinking of the Battleship Maine—to accompany the report.

At some point during study hall, my friend Matt took my map of Cuba and hid it. And to make a long story short, someone else who was unaware of the map’s importance tore it up.

I flipped my lid. I blew my top. I hit the roof. And I threw a chair across the room.

Yes, the quiet kid lost his marbles.

I got sent to the principal’s office for the first time, but after I caImed down, I was released pretty quickly for my years of accumulated good behavior—or maybe for a plea of temporary insanity. I skulked back to class, embarrassed and ashamed. By the way, another friend pieced Cuba back together for me.

Proverbs 29:11 says, “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.”

We all have things that trigger anger. For me in seventh grade, it was a combination of feeling wronged, stress and lack of sleep. Thirty years later, those same things can cause me to feel angry.

The key to not being a fool is managing those feelings, or as the old saying goes, “Don’t let your anger get the best of you.”

Think back to times when you’ve let anger get the best of you and try to find the root cause. Did someone disrespect you or hurt your feelings? Did you have to wait for something much longer than expected? Did you make some kind of mistake?

When you know things that trigger anger, you will be better prepared to deal with it. Anger is a natural feeling but how we handle it makes all the difference.

Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Or in other words: Get over it.

When you feel rage brewing inside you, try your best to take a moment to calm down. Think before you do or say something you will regret.

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel” (Proverbs 15:18).