It will not surprise my forbearing readers to know that I can get quite angry. And there are times to be angry. But I’ve been giving in to anger too much lately. And that not so much in what I post here, but in losing control of my anger and also in letting it persist. (In other words, if you think I get angry here . . . )
It’s not for nothing that scripture exhorts us not to let the sun go down on our anger. Lately, I’ve been feeling both physical and mental fatigue, and I think a lot of that comes from letting my anger eat me up and wear me down. Obama and Obamacare have provoked a lot of the anger. So have less important personal matters. And the anger to a point has been justified. But I’ve let my anger spill out well beyond the point of righteousness and self-control. And the biggest victim of that has been myself. God has been gently opening my eyes to that this Lent.
Please feel free to pray for me. Anger has been an issue for me all my life. So in addition to there now being so much about which to be outraged, I’ve long been weak about self-control in this area.
Although I doubt she tends to anger as much as me, the Anchoress recently posted some thoughts on struggling with anger.
Wannabe: sometimes anger is just anger, and you are correct to seek the scriptural counsel on how to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as a male, it is always good to ask if grief is the underlying spiritual issue. Guys, not wanting to appear weak, will often smash stuff and rage when their hearts are broken.
Paul told the Thessalonians not to grieve like "those who have no hope." So it is always wise for men, when examining anger, to search our souls for wounds that generate despair - events that we've hidden from the virtue of hope.
But you are right in your post - sometimes, anger is a reflection of our creation in the image of a just God - it is righteous and the only questions are how to express it and how to act upon it (you've posted some wise stuff on that recently).
Other times, anger reflects a grudge ("the sun went down while we were angry") and requires forgiving the offender.
Anyway, thanks for posting this. It is one of those "rubber hits the road" issues that should be addressed from pulpits more often.