Monday Morning Manna: When Anger Becomes Greed

I was busy enjoying my meal in a local restaurant, when I was distracted. A family of four, seated nearby me, caught my attention. Mom and Dad were not having one of their best days, plus the two small children were expressing their unhappiness in rather loud volume. The family anger seemed to escalate as the meal progressed. At the end of their meal and close to the end of their patience, Dad threw several dollars on the table for a tip, grabbed both kids and headed to check out. Left behind, Mom gathered the tip dollars, stuffed them in her purse, and hurried to catch up with her family. In this case anger led to greed. The actions of the Mom made me think of a verse in Proverbs, “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house” (Proverbs 15:27), and I wondered if the verse could be reversed and paraphrased – “She who troubles her own house, becomes greedy.” Either way, these two emotions are a deadly mix. Don’t let your anger lead to greed. Don’t let your greed, cause anger.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.