Anger Free DadSample

The Danger of Anger

There’s nothing quite like introducing your son to something you enjoy. Or so thought one father, who was thrilled to finally be on his first fishing trip with his teenage son.

Their fishing lines hadn’t been in the water 30 minutes when his son became irritated. They hadn’t caught anything, and his son was bored from just sitting and waiting. Two hours later, his exasperated son exclaimed, “Dad, we’ve been here for hours, and we’ve caught nothing! Let’s go home!” The father calmly tried explaining the art of fishing, but his son only focused on the fact that his fishing rod had not moved an inch. As their time on the bank hit three hours, the son leaped up in frustration and said, “Dad, this is a waste of time.”

The dad’s eager expectations for their father/son bonding had been slowly dissolving into frustration. And with his son’s last outburst, the dad lost patience and a surge of rage rushed through his veins. He snatched the fishing rod out of his son’s hand, yanked the boy’s collar, and screamed, “FINE! GRAB YOUR STUFF! WE’RE GOING HOME!”

Being a dad is kinda like sitting on a dock with our kid. We know our role is to help our sons “reel in” what the Lord wants for their lives. Unfortunately, they don’t always see what we see, they get impatient, and they’ll push the boundaries. When he is impatient and pushes back, how do you respond? Anger is never to be a part of the equation. When we get angry, it becomes even harder to help a son mature in Christ and see God at work. Anger stops the righteous plans our Heavenly Father has for our leadership.

At times, being an anger-free dad can feel like a tall order. Without Jesus, it is. That’s why we need to look to the perfect Father who has been slow to anger with us and ask Him how He does it. God calls us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”. When we live that way— quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger—we can achieve the righteous plans He has for our lives as dads.

Ask God to help you be quick to hear His voice. Seek His strength to be patient and slow to anger.