Uncontrolled anger

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:26).

Do you find yourself getting angry a lot? Do little frustrations ruin your day? Are you prone to snapping at others for no good reason? Do you spend a lot of time complaining about how bad things are? Are you jealous of what other people have?

Anger can arise from many sources. Some people are inconsiderate of your feelings. There are times when you just cannot figure out how to solve a problem; other times you are making progress on an important project and then either something goes wrong or someone interrupts you, and you lose all your momentum. It can be aggravating to read stories of government incompetence; it can be infuriating to see a criminal escape justice on a technicality.

Some people suppress their anger; they do their work in sullen silence, unwilling to let others know what’s going on inside them. But this is not a healthy way to manage anger—it leads to ulcers and sucks all enjoyment out of life. Others try to bottle up their anger; they tromp through the day red-faced and irritable. But this is not healthy either; sooner or later something happens and they explode like a volcano, spewing out dramatic emotion in all directions (pity especially the individual who unwittingly triggers the outburst). And there are those who make no effort to control their anger; their days are a never-ending litany of complaints about anything and everything. But this too is unhealthy—chronic complainers have a hard time seeing the good things in their lives.

God gets angry too—angry at the sins we commit. But unlike us, God never lets rage take control of Him. Instead, the Lord tries to resolve things constructively. Through the Bible, He tells us what behavior angers Him. Through Jesus, He offers to forgive us if we are willing to change our ways. The only time we are in danger from God is when we ignore what He has to say to us; if we fail to repent and follow Jesus, then God’s anger against us will be a terrible thing to experience.

Anger must be expressed, but in a positive way. Instead of grousing about bad government, send letters that are firm but polite, and take every opportunity to vote good people into office. Instead of hiding your anger, tell those who have hurt you how you feel and why—give them a chance to apologize. Anger is destructive; ask Jesus to help you in directing it, so that no one is needlessly harmed by your rage—including you.