Anger is not an evil emotion. Bible readers know that God occasionally gets angry and that the injustice of our world can anger those who love righteousness. I picture God’s anger like a bomb with a football-field length fuse. He does blow up in wrath, but it doesn’t happen quickly. As Moses recorded, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger …” (Exodus 34:6).

Our problem is that we get angry quickly. It takes two siblings in the back of a van 0.7 seconds to scream at each other when one crosses over that invisible territorial line in the back seat. Grown-up drivers need only 1.2 seconds to go from singing to the radio to raging at less-than-perfect motorists who fail to signal or follow our bumpers too closely. The sad result of our sinfulness is that one comment at dinner, one second of teenage attitude, or one infuriating news story can make us instantly furious. Tragically, when we blow up, the people who are closest to us get hit by the shrapnel of our instant anger.

What’s the answer? To walk with God. As Moses noted, God is gracious, willing to forgive our out-of-control emotions. God is compassionate, tenderly holding our hands as we learn how to manage our emotions. God is slow to anger, even when we are throwing another adult tantrum.

Step-by-step we learn a better way, the way of the Lord who is love. “Love is … not easily angered” (1 Corinthians 13:5).