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Sometimes, people or things lose control. I remember in London Square, my mother’s motorized scooter went ran away with her! It was all because I accidently wrapped her purse strings around the throttle on the handle. She went flying out into traffic with me running after her. Happily, all the cars stopped. Onlookers were just as surprised as we were. It could have been tragic.
It is frightening when people lose control of their tempers. Has anyone ever gotten angry with you?
Here is a stunt about a ruler that misbehaves and decides to have a mind of its’ own!
Preparation:
You need three things: A ruler and a two-inch rubber band and a coin. It is this simple.
Trick: Make a ruler fly out of your hand!
Do: Slide the rubber band over your thumb and middle finger.
Take a ruler and hold it upright so the rubber band is stretched around the bottom of the ruler.
Push down on the ruler and hold it in place so it cannot spring back.
Let everyone see the ruler while you hold it. Hold the ruler in your palm and show only the side of your hand that does not reveal the rubber band.
Say: “I would like to show you a stunt with a ruler and a coin but the ruler keeps escaping me!”
Do: The ruler is being held down by the ruler. Let it go. It will fly high in the air.
Say: “See what I mean?”
Do: Pick up the ruler. Replace it on the rubber band. Hold it far away from your face. Let it go. Be careful to keep a distance from your audience so no one can see the rubber band.
Engage Your Audience:
Sometimes, things don’t work when we want them to. This stunt was about a ruler that would not behave properly. It flew out of our hand! But, what about friends that fly off the handle and lose their temper. Here is a story about a parrot that would not behave:
“David got a parrot for his birthday. This parrot was fully grown with a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every other word was naughty or rude. David tried very hard to change the bird’s manners. David would say polite words, play soft music, anything he could think of to try to set a good example, but nothing worked. He got really frustrated. He yelled at the bird, and the bird got worse. He shook the bird, and the bird got angrier and rude. One day, David felt so desperate that he put the parrot in the freezer. For a few moments he heard the bird squawking, kicking and screaming, then suddenly everything was quiet. David was frightened that he might have hurt the bird and quickly opened the freezer door. The parrot calmly stepped out on to David’s arm and said: “I’m sorry that I might have offended you with my language and actions and I ask for your forgiveness. I will try to correct my behavior.” David was amazed at the great change in the bird and was about to ask what caused it. The parrot said, “May I ask what the chicken did?”
Amazons easily fly off the handle.
Scriptural Application:
The fly-away ruler is out of control. The parrot was also unmanageable. What do you do when you lose your temper? How do you handle a person that is angry?
Proverbs 15:1
If you fight anger with anger, all you get is more anger. On the other hand, if you respond to anger with patience and love, you can actually quell anger from getting out of hand. And that is exactly what this verse about anger is saying.
Here are five steps the Bible says we can take to help us take control of our anger.
Acknowledge Your Anger. …
Set Your Will to Forgive. …
Pray the Prayer of Forgiveness. …
Ask God to Help You Deal With Your Angry Feelings. …
Refuse to Keep Thinking About the Offence. …
Boundaries:
People often get angry when you tell them , “No”. Even if it is done in kindness. Here is how to handle those who get angry when you refuse to do something for them or with them:
How to Handle Those Who Get Angry at Your Boundaries
- Realize that the person who is angry at you for setting boundaries is the one with the problem.
- View anger realistically. …
- Do not let anger be a cue for you to do something. …
- Make sure you have your support system in place. …
- Do not allow the angry person to get you angry.
