Losing your temper...

Today, I read of how King Xerxes lost his temper: "King Xerxes was feeling happy because of so much wine. And he asked his seven personal servants, Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, to bring Queen Vashti to him. The king wanted her to wear her crown and let his people and his officials see how beautiful she was. The king’s servants told Queen Vashti what he had said, but she refused to go to him, and this made him terribly angry."  Esther 1: 10 - 12

The chapter also tells of how Queen Vashti herself had held a banquet for the women.

When her husband sent for her, she refused to go to him. I wonder why.

In those days, she would have been his possession, to show off. After all, he sent for her for quite a good reason.

Was she so secure in her position that she was confident enough to stand against him? Brave - or foolish?

Was she drunk as well, leading her to make an unwise decision?

Was she an immature young girl, who became over-confident of her looks?

Was she sneakily advised or encouraged by envious, ambitious women to do what she did?

This chapter shows the king becoming angry:  Proverbs 12:16 says "Losing your temper is foolish; ignoring an insult is smart."

True. Doubly, quadruply...ply true for a leader, who, to be effective, needs to remain calm and in control of his/her emotions. A lesson. I seldom get angry now, having felt indignant more often when I was younger, and I manage to 'control' it, mostly. (Simmering, festering, resentment masquerade as control, but that is another story.)

But what I also learn from this little story is to be careful how I react to others: particularly to perceived injustice. I wonder, if Vashti realised what the consequences would be, if she would still have done the same? Do I think carefully enough about my  actions?