a matter of habit: the fruit of the Spirit

 I am in this place of wondering.  Wondering about anger.  And self-control.

What do you do when you don’t have the good sense to put a piece of tape over your mouth to hold in all the ugliness that wants to come spilling out?

I read once that anger in itself is not a sin.  It’s the what comes next that can be sinful.  How a person handles him or herself when they are angry.   I’m coming to the understanding that, at least for me, this is a matter of habit.

I fail daily.  

I know that I’m not the only one, and this is not a “beat myself up over my failure” session.  This is a “man, I really don’t like this and want to change it” session.

So I’m pondering.

I’ve read (or heard) that the only way to change a habit is to replace it with a new one.

A couple of months ago, I read Colossians3, and it really stuck with me.  Paul tells us, more or less, that Christ saved us, so now we should stop acting like jerks.  For this, my particular issue today, he says:

⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Don’t do that.  Okay, got it.  But now what?

 (That Paul, he just knew I was going to ask!)

 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 

So we’re supposed to do this.

Don’t do those.   Do these.

Get rid of those.  Put these on.

So, I have to replace my habit of angry reactions with a new habit. 

But how in the world do you put on these other qualities?  Is the putting on simply in the doing? (Although, the doing is not all that simple or else we’d all be doing it all the time.)

CLOTHE yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Forgive.  PUT ON love.  Let peace rule.  And be thankful.

Paul states this like it’s so simple. 

To be continued……