Temper, Temper

A fool always loses his temper,

But a wise man holds it back.
Proverbs 29:11

There is an important biblical distinction between anger and “losing one’s temper.”  Just as there is a distinction between desire and lust.  In both cases the transition comes when the feeling moves from being present to one that controls our behavior.  Jesus himself grew angry at multiple points in his ministry, but that anger never cause Him to sin.  Things like anger and extreme desire are natural acceptable feelings for humanity.  When those become the driving influences on our thoughts, words and behaviors then we have a large problem.  It is at this point that we begin to act as the fool – the practical atheist – the one who seeks to be God of our own lives.  Wisdom, on the other hand, can consider the reality that our feelings are only a part of the equation of how we ought to behave.  A wise person is not lead by those strong emotions but by the Spirit of God within him – and thus has that much less to apologize for later.