Everyone struggles with anger, that hot under the collar
feeling when someone cuts us off in traffic. But what is anger? What is anger
for? How are we supposed to deal with our anger? What is righteous and
unrighteous anger?
Yes, we all experience anger but anger is a very
misunderstood emotion. In church we learn that it is wrong to be angry. But
doesn’t it seem like God was always angry about something in the Old Testament.
Is He angry now? How come it is okay for God to get angry and not us?
So many questions. First, let’s take a closer look at anger.
Anger is a normal human emotion with a wide range of
intensity from mild irritation to rage. Whatever the level, it is a reaction to
a perceived threat against ourselves, loved ones, our self-image or some part
of our identity. It is a warning siren that goes off to tell us that something
is wrong.
With a threat imminent, the human body reacts with a rush of
adrenaline, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and muscles flexing for
the fight or flight response. To determine the response, our minds want to
search out the source of threat. Our behavior then expresses our anger.
Therefore, our anger is a pain response. If you hit your
thumb with a hammer, you will have A) a sore thumb and B) anger. Sometimes the
pain is in the present but more likely the pain we feel is in our store house
of pain memory. All it takes is the mere threat of pain and we react.
Psychology and society says to manage your anger. Change bad
behavior responses to better responses. Well-meaning Christians teach that it
is OK to be righteous in our anger over injustice and sin but not to be angry
when someone hurts our feelings. But is anger sin, in and of itself?
No, anger is not sin. We are told in Ephesians 4:26 to be
angry but do not sin in our anger and not to give place to the devil. Paul has
given us a pattern to follow concerning anger.
First, acknowledge your anger. This emotion is given to us
by God our Creator as a signal that something hurts. Determine whether it is a
physical wound or an emotional wound. If it is a physical wound, then tend to
that wound’s needs. If is not a physical wound, then it is an emotional wound
which needs to be healed. When you leave an emotional wound unhealed, like a
neglected physical wound, it will fester and cause even more emotional pain and
damage.
Just look at any average church. The reason Christians can’t
get along is because we are reacting to the emotional wounds we carry. People
bump into each other’s wounds and blame others for the pain they feel. The true
source of our anger is the wound we already carry. The present conflict is just
poking a stick into old wounds.
We then have a choice to make. Door number one is to choose
a human reaction: fight or flight. But as a king in the Kingdom, we have
another choice. Door number two is a Kingdom choice. That choice is to choose
to heal. Anytime life bumps into our wounds it can become a “Wholeness Moment.”
That hurtful situation can give us an opportunity to choose to run to Father to
experience His healing rather than nursing our wounds and giving a place for
the enemy to steal, kill and destroy.
