Target Point, Vol. 26 of 31 Today's Verse/Thought: A Legal Issue
Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts give him a drink; for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head. Romans 12:20
Life Implication:
So far, we've looked at key actions such as not letting your anger build by getting laminated to God, bringing that which makes us angry to God immediately, and finally, examining the cause, the facts and the feelings involved.
Today let's discuss one of the toughest and most anti-cultural keys to properly managing our anger:
GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS!
You can't believe I said that, can you? Let me repeat: GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS! That is anathema to our current American way of thinking. But, think about it. Who had every right to speak up and defend Himself? Jesus, of course. Jesus gave up His rights as the Son of the living God, the King of the Universe, the One who created those guys who were nailing Him to the cross. We need to focus on Him. He paid the temple tax; He could have come down from the cross; He didn't have to turn His other cheek. He had every heavenly and earthly legal right to speak up.
When you give up your rights you release the other person. When you give up your rights it's difficult for the other person to respond in an angry way. There's nothing to get a hold of, nothing to grab onto. It literally disarms the other individual involved.
Life Application:
We live in a world that promotes self-defense, both physically as well as psychologically. In the business world, getting the upper hand, being ahead of the game, is applauded. Think of a time when you perhaps were harshly criticized. What is your first impulse? Most likely, it is to deny the accusation or to defend your rights in the situation. But, defending or denying only incites further argument. It also focuses more attention on your attacker's negative point.
A better way of handling it is to stop, ASK GOD TO GIVE YOU HUMILITY OF HEART, and then ask the person with whom you are speaking, What do you mean? This gives you time to compose yourself-and often reveals the underlying issue that really needs to be addressed.
Tomorrow In TargetPoint:
Roots