Monday, October 20, 2008

About Anger


For as the churning of the milk produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife.
Proverbs 30:33 (NIV)

We all know people who keep those around them upset. They are quick-tempered, easily riled and not fun to be around.

In her book, Irregular People, Joyce Landorf Heatherley tells us we all have at least one person in our lives who keep things all stirred up. These people aren’t happy with themselves. They are angry and don’t know why. Maybe they have undiagnosed health issues or unresolved or unrecognized emotional problems.

Most of these issues in angry people can cause us to feel helpless when we have to face them. We have to rely on God to lead us. Bible study allows us to “hide [the] word in [our] heart.” [see Psalm 119:10]

Sometimes we become angry when we deal with those who keeps things stirred up. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesians “in your anger, do not sin. [Eph, 4:26] This anger, called Holy Anger or righteous indignation, is acceptable because we become angry about issues Jesus would take issue with.

In today’s world we hear a lot about anger management classes. We, as a society seem to have let go of good judgment and let things be said and done that inflict hurt onto others.

In Jesus’ model prayer he taught his disciples there is a passage that makes me pause. “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” If we as God’s children put His will first while we are on earth, would we have people stirring up anger and producing strife?


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