Why Are You Angry?
“Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7
It’s easy to take offence when we are corrected over ‘small’ mistakes. We get upset or may even sulk a little when people correct the slip openly.
Maybe the team lead on a project points out an error in your “well-researched” submission, or something negative happened due to your oversight or miscalculation, you may get really angry. But you shouldn’t.
God told Cain not to be angry that He accepted his brother’s offering, but he should rather feel sober that he didn’t give the very best, and make the necessary adjustment.
In Matthew 7:1-4, Jesus says we should hold ourselves to the highest standards and examine ourselves first. This is essential for character development and maturity.
Like God warned Cain, He is pointing out the same thing to you now.
You need to learn to accept the fact that sometimes you will miss the mark, your viewpoint will not always be right, and your opinion will not always be adopted. When corrected, in secret or openly, you should accept the correction in good faith.
Commit to learning from errors or mistakes and move on from there. Don’t keep the scorecard.
We must accept that in certain aspects of life, another person, younger or older, richer or not so rich, will be better gifted and equipped than us.
Instead of being competitive or jealous, get close and learn while acknowledging the area of better competence.
Cain would have been saved if he was receptive to God’s corrective advice.
No more excuses for getting upset. Stop taking offence, quit the bitter feelings, jealousy, and sulking.
Take the lesson, control your emotion, and move on in love.