What makes you mad? We all have some things that tend to irritate or upset us on a regular basis. It could be anything from someone that is not driving like we think they should, to someone with an opposing political or moral viewpoint that differs from us, or someone giving you a look that you do not like. We can become irritated or disrespected when our children or even other adults don’t listen to what we ask them to do. It doesn’t take us long to find a whole bucket of things that can make us mad, especially when we are looking for them. You might even repeatedly hear the same person bring up many of these talking points that lead you to become upset, whether indirectly through media/social media that you take in, or who you encounter directly in your community or at work. What happens when we let all these things stir up these emotions of anger, fear, or indignation? Repeatedly listening to or engaging with these topics just makes the anger and self-righteousness grow inside us and works us up even more each time. We become quick to anger. We share how much it bothers us with anyone who will listen, and some that won’t. You seek out others with similar views so you can complain together even more loudly. You become known for being ‘that guy’ around whom you don’t bring up certain issues, or face his wrath. It impacts your health and well being and those around you. Do you want to be ‘that guy’?
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20
When you look through history, and even in our world today, you see that people can hate anything. There are some who prefer a certain type of vehicle and think those who drive something else are idiots. A Democrat vs. Republican. People with a certain skin color, ethnicity, accent, or country of origin. Those who live in a certain town or go to a different school, or who live in the city vs country. There are some who don’t like kids, teenagers, or old people. Those who have cats, dogs, or birds as pets. And why does hatred over anything and everything exist? Somewhere along the line, we may have had a bad experience with someone like that, or more than likely, we were told to avoid or hate those things as we grew up around others with that mindset. People can go to great lengths to justify their attitudes and actions, often aligning with others who share those ideas. I heard it from this person, so I am justified in sharing this opinion. When we oppose certain ideas or political philosophies, etc, then anyone who shares in them can become our enemy. When we go down these trails of anger and hatred it can lead to all kinds of things that are not good for us or others. It is not healthy and is not a habit that speaks well of a follower of Christ. So, if we find ourselves, or someone we care about in this situation, what can we do?
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. Matthew 5:21-22
When we examine our hearts, or ask God to show us where we have sinned, we need to be open to what we find. If we have said spiteful things of others, or just harbored hate in our hearts, then we need to acknowledge this and seek to move forward. The first step in the cure is forgiveness. Forgiving others for teaching us to hate, those who have been the target of our anger, and asking God’s forgiveness for what we have done, as often as is needed. We need to practice patience, love, and forgiveness toward others in addition to the other fruits of the spirit that should be allowed to grow within us. Stay away from places that you know will upset you or stir up anger. Eventually you may be able to engage with someone with opposing views and state your case for why you think differently without getting upset, and even having compassion for them. Can you diffuse the anger in someone who revels in being upset? Not very easily, but by being an example and showing them an alternate course may give them hope to diffuse all those potential explosions.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32-32
Yours in Christ,
Clark
