Proverbs 16:32
Hotheaded
people are a dime a dozen. We see them every day in the news. Police mug shot
files are filled with people who can’t control their temper. If we need someone
to fight, there will be no shortage of people volunteering.
The
content of this proverb makes such a stark contrast. Patience is such a valued
quality that it is more important than national defense. If we have patience,
are rare quality in our instant gratification society, then life slows down.
There is plenty of time to make most decisions. And when decisions are made,
they are not rushed into. There is time for deliberation, negotiation,
compromise.
I
have to admit, I am impatient sometimes. For me, when I feel under stress, my
fuse gets very short. I can feel my blood pressure rising. I feel the internal
pot boiling. And then over something very small, my steam blows. What I really
feel in those moments is I feel alone. That loneliness in handling the pressure
is what gets me. When someone is there, working alongside me, the pressure
subsides. I gain perspective. The task seems to go a little more smoothly.
The
second half of the proverb states that self-control is better than a victorious
warrior. Self-control is the ability to take control over when and how your
reaction will be demonstrated.
When
I was growing up my parents taught me that I should count to ten before acting
on my internal impulses. Not a bad habit, in principle, but it requires a
person to have self-control to count to ten. And when a kid doesn’t have self-control,
ten is an eternity.
Again,
these two qualities of patience and self-control are more valuable than the
ability defeat your enemies. This is exactly what is trained into soldiers.
They are trained to do the job of attacking and defending with restraint. They
are taught to only use aggression when it is necessary. The might of the
military machine only runs at the order of the President. Individual soldiers
don’t have the option to use their training anytime they want. They are trained
to hold back, go slowly, think through the courses of action, be deliberative,
have patience, use self-control.
Are
you ready to become as patient as a Army Sniper, willing to lie perfectly still
for days at a time? That is patience and self-control.