by Charles R. Swindoll

Scriptures: Genesis 4:6-7

Cain failed to heed the Lord’s counsel. Allowing the crouching, hungry beast within him to attack, Cain later murdered his younger brother—and to make things even worse, he could never escape the consequences. They would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life, illustrating the truth of the old proverb: “If you seek revenge, dig two graves.”

While all anger is not wrong, uncontrolled anger, lingering anger, and temper tantrums do not result in anything good. We’re back to God’s counsel to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance [face] fallen? . . . Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4:6-7, emphasis added).

You must master it. Otherwise, dangerous toxins will spread within your system, leaving you with serious consequences you’ll have to deal with. As the saying goes:

Nurse your grudge, poison your body.
Poison your grudge, nurse your body.

The lesson? As needed and as wonderful as emotions are, they must never be allowed to take charge of our lives. They need the steady, stable hand of reason to guide them, to control them. When we give them free reign, we yield to things that are harmful, even dangerous. By keeping them within proper boundaries, you and I will live healthier and, perhaps, longer.

In addition, we’ll have a better-looking face!