Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, 25 or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared. (Proverbs 22:24-25)
Everyone has a boiling point, but we are warned concerning those whose boiling point is low. Short-fused people are dangerous... and contagious.
The first consideration we must give here is to ourselves. Ask yourself, "Is my fuse too short?" When we fly off the handle every time life doesn't go our way, we ruin relationships. The Bible tells us that love is patient; that is, love has a long fuse and as we live empowered by the Holy Spirit we will reflect that in our relationships with others. Even when we are angry, we'll express that anger in a tempered, proper manner.
The other consideration we must give to this passage is this: are there relationships in my life that are negatively effecting me? Am I picking up someone else's bad habits? We need to choose our friends with care. Our closest companions in life need to be people who build us up and challenge us, by their lives, to be better people ourselves.
If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1
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