"Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];" — James 1:19 AMP
It's easy to assume and lash out when we think we've been betrayed, slighted, or intentionally harmed.
But when emotions run high, our thoughts don't often reflect 100% of reality. Here and there, we'll catch glimpses of our own insecurities projected onto other people's words and actions. On top of other people's behavior, we layer sound bites of our narratives about being unworthy, undeserving, and unlovable.
So it helps to pause, breathe deeply, and sit still before spouting words we can't take back.
Be slow to anger.