“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty.” Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

Had I created mine, I would have shortened the length and made it narrower.

The nose is an interesting part of the body’s anatomy. I’ve heard it continues to grow as a person ages. And I have seen a number of elderly senior adults with noses that have apparently followed the norm.

As a child, I smelled everything before I ate it. I suppose if it smelled bad, it would taste the same way. Not always true. Since smell is one of the most powerful memory tools, I’m glad-although sometimes sad, that I have a sense of smell. Certain aromas can resurrect things I’ve not thought about in years-or even remembered that I remember.

Growing my nose longer has never entered my mind-but perhaps it should. The Hebrew word used for anger in the Old Testament means “nostril” or “nose.” According to Hebrew psychology, the nose was the beginning point of anger. One who was slow to anger was long of nose.

An interesting twist on this piece of my anatomy. So interesting that I might indeed wish my nose would continue to grow. Anger is one of those God-created emotions that almost everyone struggles with. The emotion itself is neutral but rarely is it ever expressed in the same fashion. Hurt, fear, and frustration all heat it up, and the temptation is to manifest it in such a way so that someone else gets hurt too.

Being slow to anger is an art only God can help me with. I may have genetic overtones or have come through environmental overtones that make it easier for me to express my anger in unhealthy ways, but neither excuse the responsibility for my actions. “I can’t help it” won’t cut the mustard with God. Strength comes from learning to control my anger.

I can grow my nose by temporarily or permanently stepping away from an explosive situation, by being prayed up ahead of time, by being familiar with what the Bible says about anger, by learning to think before I act, by depending on God’s Spirit to help me do what I might not ordinarily do, and by looking for beneficial ways to express my anger.

Don’t be ashamed of a long nose. It means you’re mastering the anger button.

Martin Wiles Hodges, South Carolina, USA