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For a long time I bragged about my very first fistfight.
I told and retold the story to any friend who would listen. I thought it was something to be proud of.
The fight had been against three of my cousins. We were vacationing at the beach, and they had done nothing but torment me all day long. They dumped sand in my hair, threw my towel in the water, and tried to dunk me under every chance they got. Finally, I'd had enough.
When my cousins Brian and Justin splashed another huge spray of seawater in my face, I lost it. The next thing I knew I was kneeling on Brian's back, holding him underwater as I reached over and slugged Justin.
My cousin Steven jumped on my back and I kicked him off. I was so furious I barely knew what was happening. My mother and two uncles had to drag us apart.
That'll teach them to mess with me, I thought. I was so proud of myself. I had held my own in a fight against three guys. I had every right to be pleased. . . . didn't I?
It took me longer than it should have, but I eventually came to realize my fight wasn't the glorious achievement I imagined it to be. I had to learn the hard way the many reasons why uncontrolled anger is nothing to take pride in.
I told and retold the story to any friend who would listen. I thought it was something to be proud of.
The fight had been against three of my cousins. We were vacationing at the beach, and they had done nothing but torment me all day long. They dumped sand in my hair, threw my towel in the water, and tried to dunk me under every chance they got. Finally, I'd had enough.
When my cousins Brian and Justin splashed another huge spray of seawater in my face, I lost it. The next thing I knew I was kneeling on Brian's back, holding him underwater as I reached over and slugged Justin.
My cousin Steven jumped on my back and I kicked him off. I was so furious I barely knew what was happening. My mother and two uncles had to drag us apart.
That'll teach them to mess with me, I thought. I was so proud of myself. I had held my own in a fight against three guys. I had every right to be pleased. . . . didn't I?
It took me longer than it should have, but I eventually came to realize my fight wasn't the glorious achievement I imagined it to be. I had to learn the hard way the many reasons why uncontrolled anger is nothing to take pride in.
After the fight with my cousins, my mother told me that she had been afraid I was going to drown Brian, since I held him underwater for so long. What was even scarier, though, was that I didn't even realize what I was doing.
That's the problem with losing your temper--it makes you lose control of yourself. And when that happens, you may end up doing or saying terrible things you'll never be able to take back.
That's the problem with losing your temper--it makes you lose control of yourself. And when that happens, you may end up doing or saying terrible things you'll never be able to take back.
Uncontrolled anger makes a bad situation worse.
Fighting didn't fix anything between me and my cousins. It only made them torment me more. . . .which of course lead me to continue fighting. Before I knew it we were locked in a vicious cycle of anger and bickering. Neither side wanted to back down.
If only I had kept my cool in the first place, our feud probably wouldn't have lasted so long. This is why the Bible advises us to "refrain from anger and turn from wrath. . . it leads only to evil" (Psalm 37:8). Losing your temper will only make the situation go from bad to worse.
If only I had kept my cool in the first place, our feud probably wouldn't have lasted so long. This is why the Bible advises us to "refrain from anger and turn from wrath. . . it leads only to evil" (Psalm 37:8). Losing your temper will only make the situation go from bad to worse.
Uncontrolled anger destroys relationships.
The tension between my cousins and I eventually got so bad we could barely stand to be in the same room.
Family get-together were always awkward. The four of us were all about the same age, so we should have been able to hang out. But our years of fighting had created a rift that took a long time to repair.
This is often what happens when you lose control of your anger--you lose the chance to share in some potentially great relationships.
There's nothing wonderful or exciting about fighting, either with words or fists. Even if you think you have good reason to do so, the consequences just aren't worth it.
In the long run, it's a whole lot smarter to just keep you cool.
-by Christina Dotson
Family get-together were always awkward. The four of us were all about the same age, so we should have been able to hang out. But our years of fighting had created a rift that took a long time to repair.
This is often what happens when you lose control of your anger--you lose the chance to share in some potentially great relationships.
There's nothing wonderful or exciting about fighting, either with words or fists. Even if you think you have good reason to do so, the consequences just aren't worth it.
In the long run, it's a whole lot smarter to just keep you cool.
-by Christina Dotson
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