Steph Curry had been a rather consistent picture of calm and grace in the midst of pressure. It was easy to hold him up as a model of Christian behavior. Then, he lost his cool. The build up of frustration during the NBA Finals series finally boiled over in a moment of uncontrolled anger. And he paid for it with a technical foul, ejection from the game, and a $25K fine. I could imagine some people thinking about how his actions could tarnish his Christian image.
Paul and Barnabas were missionaries dedicated to the work of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. But they disagreed about taking along John Mark on a particular trip. They lost their cool. “Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways” (Acts 15.39 The Message).
I don’t quite remember the details. But there was a time, when we were much younger, that I reacted in anger to something my brother did. Without thinking, I swung and punched him in the gut. Only when he lay crumpled on the ground did I realize that I had lost it. And that scared me!
Sometimes, we just “lose it” and we end up doing things that do not match our commitment to follow Christ. Whether or not the cause for our frustration and anger is valid does not really matter when we do not act or behave in a Christlike manner.
“Everyone should … slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1.19–20 NIV). Probably, this verse is not saying that it is wrong for humans to feel anger (for such an emotional response). But anger has a way of taking over one’s good senses. So, James is warning us that such “human anger,” when not kept in check, often leads to actions and behavior that contradict or disavow God’s righteousness. Paul expresses a similar stance when he writes: “And ‘don’t sin by letting anger control you’ … for anger gives a foothold to the devil” (Ephesians 4.26–27 NLT). There is no excuse to letting anger take control.
But we all have experienced succumbing to the pressure of anger. And, like Curry, like Paul and Barnabas, like me, we lose it. What then? God’s grace! God can still overrule the claim of sin in our life and repair the brokenness. Curry was quick to apologize to the person that got hit when he threw his mouth guard. It took a little longer, but John Mark became a valued partner of Paul in the ministry. And regarding my brother: we’re okay. We’re both in gospel ministry. And we love each other dearly.
—Keith Y. Jainga