I wrote The Teacher with one purpose in mind: to offer to everyday people such as you and me words of guidance concerning daily life. Drawing on words of biblical wisdom literature, particularly the so-called Teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes and of Proverbs – both largely ascribed to King Solomon, I set out simply to offer reflections on aspects of our everyday experience, in the hope that these might offer help and inspiration. Each reflection is rooted in words of Scripture, which I use as the basis for a subsequent exploration of the lessons we might learn concerning how we live our lives.
The material in the book is ideal for public worship as an accompaniment to sermons on such themes as hope, envy, fear and love, but is equally well suited to personal devotion; an invaluable tool, I hope, for all those seeking to live out more fully the way of Christ. It invites people of all faiths and none to make time to pause and ponder, to consider the way they live, and to reflect on where the secret of true happiness lies.
This week, until 15 November, Kevin Mayhew Ltd are offering 10 per cent off The Teacher, normally retailing at £14.99. That means a saving of £1.50 using the code UNFOLDING10 when ordering the book from the company’s website. Just type the code into the relevant box at the online checkout between the dates given.
Meanwhile, here’s the first of the sessions I’ll be posting this week from the book, to run alongside this promotion.
Anger
A couple stood arguing close by, tempers rising on both sides. And as their anger grew fiercer so their words became harsher, delivered no longer to persuade or convince, but to wound and scar; to score points rather than articulate any points worth making.
Then the Teacher, with a sad shake of the head, said with a sigh, ‘As surely as churning milk produces curds, and hitting the nose causes it to bleed, so stirring up anger leads to strife.’
‘But surely we all get angry about some things,’ I observed.
And the Teacher answered, ‘Never lose your temper in a hurry, for anger dwells in the heart of the foolish. Whoever controls their anger displays great wisdom; a hot temper is the height of folly! Fiery tempers lead to arguments, whereas patience creates peace. A fool gives full rein to their anger, whereas the wise person is patient enough to let it cool down. If you have any sense, you will learn to control your anger.’
‘But how do we do that?’ I asked. ‘How can we master anger, before it masters us?’
And the Teacher replied, ‘A gentle answer soothes tempers, but an unkind word arouses anger. A gentle tongue is like a tree of life, whereas belligerent words crush the spirit.’
‘So is anger never justified?’ I asked. ‘Is there nothing we should get worked up about?’
‘God despises the following,’ the Teacher answered, ‘each being anathema to him: eyes that look down on others, a tongue that utters deceitful words, hands that shed innocent blood, a twisted and devious heart, feet that rush to pursue evil, a mouth that testifies falsely against others, and all who create conflict within a family.’
I pondered the Teacher’s words, and I realised there is a place for anger – a need to rage against what demeans and destroys lives – but so often we misunderstand what that is. And I mused that were we to be even a fraction as angered by the evils and injustices of this world as we are about the most trivial matters concerning ourselves, what a difference we could make for the better.
But I saw also that anger is frequently foolish and petulant, more about piqued pride than right and wrong, about frustrated desire than justified indignation, about impatience than being truly aggrieved. For though we get angry when we are wronged, we grow angrier still when we are wrong. And what angers us in others is most often what angers us in ourselves.
And I recognised that when we get steamed up, we must learn to cool down, for words spoken thoughtlessly in the heat of the moment live on after temper subsides, wounding and festering beyond anything intended.
I understood also that anger begets anger, what starts out as a disagreement taking on a life of its own – insults traded, accusations made, grievances recalled; so fierce a blaze from so small a spark. Such anger not only hurts others; it also debases us, causing us to say what we do not mean, and mean what we do not say.
So then, what I have learnt is this: that when we say hello to anger, we say goodbye to sense, and what begins in temper ends in tears. The seeds of anger may be small, but the results cast a mighty shadow.