One of my favorite cartoons growing up was The Bugs Bunny Show. Man, I still love that show. Aren’t the new ones awful? The old ones are still the best. Of course, The Bugs Bunny Show had all sorts of characters, but one that came to mind in light of today’s wisdom is Yosemite Sam, the roughest, toughest, hombre that ever locked horns with a rabbit. There are many things you could say about ol’ Sam, but one thing for sure is that he was quick-tempered. It didn’t take hardly anything for him to blow his stack.

Do you have a little bit of Sam in you? Maybe a lot of Sam? Do you tend to blow your stack pretty easily? Has anybody ever called you crabby, cranky, cross, crotchety, grouchy, grumpy, irritable, peevish, prickly, snappy, snippy, or testy? Maybe they’ve said you’re hot-tempered or short-fused?

Well, today’s word from Scripture is for you. Proverbs 14:17, “A man of quick temper acts foolishly.” You don’t want to be a fool, do you? Oh man, how many times have you seen that play out? Yikes, I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve seen me do it.

Beloved, that quick temper will do you no good. It’ll get you into trouble and into trouble fast. That’s why the Spirit tells us in James 1, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Those are solid words for you and me to live by if we don’t want to be foolish.

Even when you’ve had enough of that long-eared, fur-bearin’, flat-footed rabbit and wanna say, “Ya better say your prayers, ya flea-bitten varmint … I’m-a-gonna blow ya to smithereenies!” may the Holy Spirit give you the power to calm down and not make a fool of yourself.

Change begins in you!