An Outburst of Anger, and What Happened Next

From “Alex” in an Arabic-Speaking Country

It was not a good morning at the production company. In my estimation everything was going wrong and in reality my heart was getting further and further away from God. Then it happened. Two of my employees did something really stupid. It was a mistake… and a fairly big one. I yelled at them. And then I yelled at them some more. Later I called them into my office to apologize for yelling. I told them there was no excuse for me yelling at another person created by God the way that I did. They both had strange looks on their faces (leaders do not apologize to subordinates here… even when they are wrong). But both said it was no big deal.

Very few positive results come from anger. Yet God allowed Alex’s failure to be used for His glory.

That night as I was praying and listening to God, He brought great conviction that I had shamed those two men publicly and then apologized in private. So, the following day I called a meeting of all the employees and explained that God had opened my eyes the night before as I was praying.

I then apologized to all of my employees for shaming the whole group as well as our shop and said that I was requesting all of their forgiveness especially that of the two I had yelled at. They all sat there for a full minute with a look of shock on their faces. Then they forgave me.

For we who live are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body. So death is at work in us, but life in the people of this Arab country.

– adapted from 2 Corinthians 4:11-12