He Loves Me. . He Loves Me Not: Anger

I have noticed that usually when I get angry it is when I don’t get what I want. When something is not turning out the way I would like or when I am not being treated the way I like, I express anger. When I have to wait longer than I think is appropriate at the doctor’s office or have to stand in line at Wal-Mart when the majority of the cashier lines are not even open. Most of my anger stems from me not getting my way.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus links anger with murder. Now many of us may think we would never go that far but the reality is that anger robs us of good and becomes a weight that holds us down in the past. An example of this is the Alabama man who went on a shooting spree killing ten people including his mother, grandmother, uncle, two cousins, and five others including an 18-month old girl. He did this because he held a grudge. The same day, a 17 year-old in Germany went on a shooting spree in his school killing 15. Two years ago, a man dressed as Santa Claus shot nine guests at a Christmas party. On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech, a university in Blacksburg, Virginia, became the site of the deadliest rampage in modern U.S. history when a student gunman killed 32 people and himself. Proverbs 14: 17 says, “A quick-tempered person does foolish things.”

We live in the “age of rage.” Statistically, it is becoming less and less likely that you will be killed on the roads by a drunk driver, but the likelihood that you will be killed by an angry driver is increasing. There may be no greater societal need in our world today than for us to learn how to manage anger.

Paul says, “Don’t let the sun go down while your still angry.” When we don’t deal with our anger, it becomes like a leaky barrel of hazardous waste sunk in our soul, slowly killing us as it poisons our relationships with other people. Studies have shown that the risk of heart attacks associated with anger is comparable to that of smoking and high cholesterol. The side effects of not dealing with anger has lasting results on our spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. We should not let the sun go down while we are still angry.