Now that we are all on the same page about drinking :) let me share some thoughts about anger. Angry people are said to be mad. Maybe that's appropriate because anger sometimes causes people to act insane. Listen, anger can consume your happiness, rob your joy, affect your health, end relationships, and wreck your faith.
Henry Drummond in his book, "The Greatest Thing in the World", said this: "No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself, does more to unchristianize society than evil temper. For embittering life, for breaking up relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom of childhood, in short, for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power this influence stands alone." Wow!
Think about this: Realize anger is one of the emotions God gave you and is not a sin in itself. We all have anger but most of us don't lose control. Learn to communicate your feelings.
Acknowledge that being hot-blooded, a redhead, or some certain nationality are not plausible excuses for out-of-control outbursts.
Realize actions are controlled by the will, so you can decide to control anger's behavior. Here's something radical. Maybe start praying about it and then understand that some anger should be vented to God alone.
Use anger constructively but accept what can't be changed. Don't break a commandment to defend a commandment. That is not righteous indignation.
Humble yourself and listen to other people. You are not always right and don't always know better than anyone else.
Ask forgiveness from those offended by your angry outbursts. Anger doesn't really give you control. Asking forgiveness calms troubled situations.
Avoid substances that unleash anger. Drinking is the number one predictor of abuse. Also know that grief could be involved as anger is one of the stages in the grieving process.
Cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22,23) It leaves little room for inappropriate use of anger.
Up North Wisdom says that when you (me) decide to be no longer ruled by anger, your life, home, workplace, church, and relationships will be filled with peace and laughter. And you just might be a better driver as well. Blessings.
baddespel
4 years ago
Remember the "Family Circle" cartoon about the kid asking the dad if they could drive now because they know all the words? :) I have heard from several sources lately about using caution when we vent to our spouses or anyone close to us. I have thought about that a lot and really, it's true. Some things should only be vented to God. Really tough for me though!
ReplyDeleteAs some of you know I am a in the box type of guy.
ReplyDeleteSo this blogging stuff is not really in that box. But as for anger
whats at the top for me is showing anger in the presents of children.
It breaks my heart to see someone showing anger when their are children present. It's ok if someone takes aim at me with their anger if it means when they get home it might be left at the door. Because I know I can ask God to forgive them. So if we must vent lets do it to God and then go home
and hug and love what God has truly blessed us with ( Our Family)
A master of sabotage and ambush, anger emerges when we least expect it. That tends to magnify the intensity we may feel when all the other "irrationalities" flood our mind, and shortly afterward, our words and deeds. It's a character to be beaten by witt and Word. You have to be smarter than your situation, or able to dump it all on someone else (Jesus) and just really forget about it. He's smart, though. Wiley, that anger.
ReplyDeleteYES I'm stinking Mad!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know...I just thought you might believe that for a second;)