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
