Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people.
Proverbs 22:24 (NLT)
When I worked in business management, I was often times called to our customer service counters to deal with angry customers. As you would expect, it was the highlight of my job. When I arrived, no one ever had to point out who I was supposed to talk with. It was very obvious. They had a scowl on their face. They often times were drumming their fingers on the countertop. They were staring at one spot on the wall, or staring down an employee. The conversation started with an introduction and then lead to a tirade unleashed by the person who felt that they had been wronged. All of a sudden, the whole world was plotting against them, and we were to blame. I became somewhat of an expert at talking people down, but it wasn’t before they belittled me, the organization, and my fellow employees. In the vast majority of situations, the issue could have been resolved with a simple conversation. Or, at the very least, they would have understood why things were the way they were.
Then, there are the people that are satisfied with nothing. In fact, they seem to relish their role as accuser and fearmonger (they like making people afraid). There is no talking them down. They know they’re right, everyone else knows they’re right, the whole world knows they’re right, and nobody is going to change their mind. So, when someone dares to challenge their view, they launch into a tirade. These are the customers I had escorted from the building.
Unfortunately, us Christians can often times behave in the same way. Whether in person, or on social media, we scream and shout at those who don’t understand that we are “right.” We condemn people, churches, pastors, for daring to do something that we’ve decided is an abomination to God, and we want the world to know it. We get angry when someone either stands up for themselves, or we don’t get the audience we think we deserve. This is not the way to be a witness for Christ. This is not Christian behavior (See Matthew 18).
King Solomon had some wise words to share about this, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people.” In other words, don’t even give them an audience. Trolls love an audience. Don’t give them the satisfaction. Walk away. Don’t engage. Block them from your life. They will only drag you, and everyone around you, down.
ChadReisig.org 