The Three Day Rule

I recall my mother telling me numerous times growing up that she knew throughout my childhood when I needed a nap. Apparently I would begin to "short circuit", as she called it, whenever I was tired or depleted. It was then that she would urge me to sleep. The funny thing about adulthood is that we don't seem to change that much. We grow taller but our characters are very much the same. I still "short circuit" when I'm under great duress and the only difference is I can't nap when I need to.

My mother once told me the best ways to avoid an explosion of possibly harmful words and/or actions was to be mindful of the following:

• James 1:19-20 (New King James Version) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1:18-20&version=NKJV
  So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
• When hurt by the words or actions of others, if you aren't the offender but rather the offended, give yourself what I call the 3 day rule: wait three days before confronting the person. If on the third day you still remember the offense, you know it's something that probably needs to be worked out.
• If you're the offender - don't wait three days, rather apologize for any wrong immediately.
• Wrath means desiring vengeance or punishment for wrong while anger is being strongly displeased in something.
• You can be angry and not sin; meaning you don't want revenge but you were terribly displeased.
• Ephesians 4:26-27 (New King James Version) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4:25-27&version=NKJV
  26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

So it seems that anger is a natural reaction to life's events. God calls us to keep our anger in check, to deliberately hold back our reactions and to confront only when necessary. After all, isn't love the covering for wrongs?

Proverbs 10:12 (New King James Version) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+10:11-13&version=NKJV
Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

1 Peter 4:8 (New King James Version) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204:8&version=NKJV
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”