Under the hood of the car I drive is a V-8 powerhouse engine that is capable of propelling my vehicle to speeds well in excess of the highest speed limit in the state of Kansas. There are numbers printed on my speedometer that the needle on my gauge will never sweep, Lord willing, as long as I own this vehicle. But my car is capable of those speeds.
If I’d never taken lessons to learn how to drive as a teenager, if I’d never been given tests requiring me to acknowledge the laws and regulations of our great state, if I’d never seen the posted speed limit signs fully understanding that the violation thereof would result in a ticket, I might drive my car as fast as possible all the time… after all, it would get me there faster.
But the people who designed the speed limits in my town understand something very important. They know if I pushed my car to its limits all the time, I’d hurt people. I’d cause damage everywhere I went, and I’d eventually harm myself. That’s why I’m expected to keep the capabilities of my car in check.
So think about this: God built you with an anger reflex. And sometimes it is appropriate to be angry. But just like the engine in my car, your anger has capabilities that should far outpace the usual demand. There should be a part of your anger “speedometer” that the needle never sweeps. Sadly, there are people in this world whose anger goes from 0-180 with only the slightest provocation. They have two modes: complete stop, or full throttle–and they cause damage. Big damage. It’s so important that we learn to harness the power of our anger. Like we do with our cars everyday, we must learn to choose the appropriate “speed” for the moment in order to effectively get where we want to be.