Losing My Temper in Prison... Again

“Let us… ask for grace to keep our body under control and bring it into subjection. We were not made new to allow our passions to rule over us, but in order that, as kings, we may reign in Christ Jesus over the triple kingdom of spirit, soul, and body, to the glory of God the Father.” – C.H. Spurgeon

“But that’s the way God made me…”

How many times have you heard someone offer that as an excuse for their bad and/or sinful behavior? And a little closer to home, how many times have you used that same excuse yourself?

When I left my previous ministry in 2011 after 24 years as founder and executive director, they held a going away party for my family and me at a local church. The sanctuary was packed, and the program featured a highlight reel of my two-plus decades of ministry as well as tributes (and funny anecdotes) from some of my teammates, past and present.

I distinctly remember one brother-in-Christ who had played several seasons on both our basketball and softball teams describe me as “the most competitive person he has ever known”. Guilty as charged. However, I knew what he was saying beneath the surface. “Dale, without your competitive nature, The Saints Prison Ministry wouldn’t be what it is today. However, make sure you keep that aspect of your personality under control, because otherwise it can do more damage than good.”

He never actually said those words, but I was able to read between the lines… and he was right. In fact, I remember – to my shame – a softball game at a federal prison in Arizona at the end of a grueling week of ministry. Our softball team had already played more than 20 games in searing 100-degree temperatures, and we were exhausted. And so, when I grounded into a double-play to end the game, I grabbed my cap and flung it in anger. Imagine my embarrassment as it handed in the lap of an inmate spectator sitting along the first baseline in a wheelchair. I sheepishly walked over, apologized profusely, and vowed never to let my competitive nature get the best of me like that again.

And yet, being human, I have been unable to keep that vow, breaking it time after time over the past 20 years. Now that I am 65 and starting to slow down, it seems like I am making a little progress in this area. However, I suspect that I will never gain full control until God calls me home and my old nature is forever eradicated and replaced by a new and perfect one. That’s not an excuse nor is it a reason to stop trying, but it is reality.

As someone once said, “It’s easy to act like a Christian, but it’s hard to react like one.”

“Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Col. 3:1-2 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President