“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” (Proverbs 19:11 ESV).
When I am tired and my mind does not seem to focus on a deep study of the Bible, I will flip to Proverbs to keep focused on God’s Word in a more simplistic way. Yet, every time I read this book, I walk away amazed at the power it brings and thankful for the renewal I feel. The verse I read today really resonated with me. “Good sense makes one slow to anger…” Think of people in our lives, or on the news, or celebrities, who always seem angry. They are often the same people that do not appear to have much common sense. A person who has common sense is a person that seeks to understand others and their points of view. If we are always seeking to understand, as a by-product, we tend to be less angry with others that may not agree with us.
The second part of the verse also resonated. I use a physical trigger to help me live up to these words. If someone says something that is hurtful or mean (or even uninformed) I will physically look at their chest, which reminds me to listen to their heart and not the words coming out of their mouth. So much of what we say is not really what we mean. Wife to spouse, “You never take out the trash!” She is probably not as angry about her husband forgetting the trash, as she is about her husband not meeting her love language for Acts of Service. When we look at someone’s heart before passing judgement, and we seek to understand where they are coming from, instead of being angry at the world we will walk with joy in our heart.