My second son, Praise, chatted with me on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. It was when he got out of the court in Dublin, Ireland. Being his first time of attending a court session, he witnessed sentences passed on two persons. One had to do with someone who had defrauded him. An Irish man collected rents for a non-existing property. The judge sentenced the culprit to nine months in prison on top of making refunds. I told my son that it was good that he was not the one receiving the sentence. He later sent back to me, “Good home training is good, very good”. I found his words soothing, because it echoes the truth of God’s word in our text.
“we must never allow our emotions to rule us… There is discretion in deferring one’s anger.
The second sentence was given to a Nigerian. He got angry at a mall and hit the security guard. He was sentenced to jail and asked to pay for damages. My son wrote to me: “Only if he just ignored and didn’t fight he won’t be in jail”. He concluded, “I learnt a lot today just by being in court hearing other people’s cases”. Let us take two crucial lessons to heart as we navigate through this month. Firstly, justice delayed is not justice denied. Several months elapsed before Praise got justice. When he had almost forgotten about the money, the judge ordered a refund that would now be like a bonus. God will address every injustice that His children suffered at the due date. Secondly, we must never allow our emotions to rule us. It is not wise to make every matter an occasion for outbursts and fight. There is discretion in deferring one’s anger.
