Proverbs 22 : 24-25  NKJV:

(24)   “Make no friendship with an angry man,
            And with a furious man do not go, 

(25)    Lest you learn his ways,
            And set snare for your soul.”

We have all been around angry, upset, and most negative people.  They are almost everywhere you go today.  Emotionally out-of-control people are very difficult to deal or reason with.  They never allow you to interject your point of view before, during, or after they have unloaded their negative thoughts and position onto you.  Let’s just face it,…angry and badly behaved human beings are just most difficult to be around.

On the other hand a “cool-hand-Luke” type of person is always calm, cool, collected, and most enjoyable to be with or associate.  Human beings were designed to need each other’s company.  They are always at their best when actively engaged with one another.

Every time you are in close proximity with an angry person you are in a potentially dangerous situation.  When ever other people are disrespectful or unkind to you,…you may be tempted to strike back, either verbally or in some other way.  If you find yourself in this type position, you should resist that temptation.  No one ever wins over another person to their own way of thinking with angry arguments or demanding vile language.  Instead, I would urge you to remember that God corrects other people’s behavior in His own way, and He doesn’t need your help,…even if you’re totally convinced that He does.

So, whenever other people behave cruelly, foolishly, or impulsively–as they will from time to time–don’t respond in kind.  Instead, speak up for yourself as politely as you can,…and walk away from the confrontation. 

Then, forgive everybody as quickly as you can and leave the rest up to God.  You are not to be another person’s judge and jury.  You are not to return a wrong with a bigger or another wrong.  God’s Golden Rule should always be the basis of all your interactions with other people.  Do Unto Others As Ye Would Have Them Do Unto You…These words should be the very foundation of all your personal behavior.  Let your own light shine, just as God has given it to you.  Allow you own personal example… not your words…do your talking for you.  Your  personal example is always on display.  You see, friends, an individual simply cannot argue with another person who will not respond to an argumentative outburst.

Remember, you were not designed by your Creator to behave badly, argue with others, or be disrespectful to your fellow humans.  Positive, gentle, kind, courteous, soft-spoken, and respectful of all other people are the character traits that best describe a good and godly person.

Evangelist and Pastor, Billy Graham once remarked, “A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable.”  These are the very best suggestions and words of personal counsel that could ever be given regarding how best to handle other men or women who behave wrongly or badly.

Professional golfer, Billy Casper said, “The only thing that can get in the way of a golfer’s success is the golfer himself.”  I would further submit to you that such great advice and counsel would equally apply to all other areas of your own life.  Do not  sabotage yourself.  Stay in total control of your own thoughts, emotions, words, and actions.

Have a plan “in play” all of the time as relates to your own personal success.  Know what you are doing, do it as best as you are able, and stay steady at completing the job for as long as it takes,…until the job is done.

Professional golfer, Meg Mallon, gives sound advice that everyone, including non-golfers would do well to heed.  She said, “Course management is the key to golf.  Somewhere along the way, you must figure out how to get the ball into the hole in the fewest shots possible.”  

If you will but simply think through what Ms. Mallon said, I believe you will quickly come to understand that wrong personal behavior, speech, actions, and loss of emotional control simply have no place in the lives of people who plan to or who are winning at the game of life.  It is incumbent upon you, the individual, to always be in total control of your own emotions so as to always keep you in control of the other areas of your physical and mental life.

Professional golfer, Tom Watson, put it all into proper perspective from which we can all learn,…when he made a statement that not only applies to the game of golf, but also to every one of your own other thoughts and actions.  He said, “Every shot has its own risk/reward factor.”

Permit me to share with you a closing tip concerning the game of life:

Don’t allow yourself to become caught up in another person’s emotional outbursts.  If someone is ranting, raving, or worse,…

you always have the right to get up and leave.

Let’s close this discussion with some sound holy advice from the Word of God.  It is written in the Book of James, Chapter 3, verse 17,  MSG:

(17)   “Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is 
           characterized by getting along with others.  It is gentle and
           reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot
           one day and cold the next, not two-faced.”

God’s Greatest Blessings to All of You……………….