The stupidity of getting mad

This blog post will serve as a confessional more than anything else, but it will also be mildly therapeutic. Why do people get mad at stupid things? The very first argument that I engaged in with my now wife (it was completely one-sided because she just looked me like I was stupid, which I was) involved an unshaken container of Papa John's garlic butter sauce. That's right, I got bent out of shape over the fact that she didn't shake the butter before she opened it. Years later I can laugh about it, but it still is one of the dumbest things that I have ever gotten mad about.

As a zealous Wake Forest fan, I lap up just about any information about their teams that I can. Since it's football season, I am regularly reading about the team on the internet, scanning for information about injuries and updates. There is a particular message board where most of the diehard fans post sports blather on, and in recent weeks some of the topics have gotten rather heated as the team has lost a couple of games. Without going into further detail, this past week some of these anonymous internet posters have all but challenged each other to fist fights over their disagreements regarding the coaches, players, and opinions of fellow fans. How dumb is that?

Many people get all twisted up about issues that simply aren't all that critical. They argue till they are red-faced about politics, theology, social issues, and sports, just to name a few. Christians are as equally guilty as anyone in this. But what if we responded as passionately to the gospel message and God's desire that the world hear the truth of Jesus? How many more would believe if I spent the same amount of energy proclaiming the gospel as I do with trying to prove my own petty points?

The real issue that this comes down to is that getting mad about trivial things takes energy away from what's most important--the gospel. It's a dangerous distraction that saps our energy and makes us ineffective for Christ. It's stupid to get mad enough to want to fight someone over whether their team should run or pass more. It's wise to put all of our effort in seeing that the gospel of Jesus Christ is heard by the lost who need salvation that only He can bring.