Is Anger Unhealthy?

 Cereal crops near Wendens Ambo Views across cereal crops on farmland near Wendens Ambo. Some angry-looking storm clouds on the horizon.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
Psalm 37:8

New International Version (NIV)

       This past week I have felt sick.   Not from any germ, virus, or anything that could be physically diagnosed, but I have been sick in my emotions and in my mind.   I have been functioning, but in a run-down and discouraged manner.  I have been tired and distraught.  

        The incident caught me totally unaware, like being hit unexpectedly by a truck.  I was left dazed and bewildered by a verbal attack that literally seemed to come from nowhere.  I had done nothing to provoke the incident.  Anger was incited as the result of a figment of someone else's imagination.

         Unlike the anger I might have felt from an encounter with a stranger, my anger and that of the loved one who attacked me gnawed at me from the inside, left me shaken, and stayed with me for several days.  The impact of the incident will now stay with me for a long time.

         For the most part keeping my restraint I tried to defend myself against the ugly words that were hurled my way.  False accusations and irrational fabrications were inveighed against me.  This person who is very close to me unleashed things that had apparently been brewing and stewing from within for quite some time, catching me entirely off guard.

         Ironically the whole mess could have been easily straightened out if only calmness and reasoning had prevailed.  I was able to answer the charges against me, but the verdict had been decided before I could even speak.  The anger was in the air and flaming in the heart of another and I was the whipping boy.

          That evening things were brought to a calmer state, but the hurt has lingered for me.   Sometimes anger leads us to do and say things that we should not.   Anger leads us to sin.   Anger makes us sick.  I try to keep the peace, but war only breaks out when at least one side wants to shatter that peace.  

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
James 1:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

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When Unreasonable Anger Cannot See What Is Reasonable

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
Psalm 37:8

New International Version (NIV)

       Sometimes we need to listen more closely to what others are telling us.  We might think we know the story and have all of the answers, but we know the story from our side and may be blinded by our own perceptions.

        This past week someone became very angry with me and seemed to insinuate that I had been dishonest or irresponsible.  I tried several times to calmly explain where they were in error and that I had not done anything wrong.  The person refused to listen to my reasoning and very logical explanation and spoke angrily at me.  I was very hurt, but I kept calm and continued to explain my position in different ways.

        I had all the facts and figures right in front of us.  The person I was dealing with continued to lash out at me and say things that they knew would cut me deeply.  Then, after a moment of silence as the person looked at the data I was presenting, that person suddenly realized that I had been right.  But by then the damage had been done.

        The person apologized and I accepted.   But I was very hurt and the hurt remained with me.  This person had every reason to trust me and I could not understand why the anger was unleashed.  What was said was unnecessary and unfair and it's another thing from that person that will stay inside of me.  I do not hold onto my anger, but my hurt is difficult to release.  

        I don't know if this person has learned from this or will find another reason to attack me in the future.  I hope there have been lessons learned.  I hope any future anger will be stemmed and result in loving dialogue. Most of all I pray that I can keep my composure and not resort to reflexive anger.  Two angry people can lead to nothing good.

        There is so much in our lives to be thankful for.  When the relatively trivial comes into play we need to calmly reason through it and think about what keeps relationships strong.   If we're talking about a little nuisance then don't fret it.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

James 1:19-20

New International Version (NIV)

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• Ten Angry Thoughts for Consideration
• Anger
• Anger Management: How to Keep Your Temper in Check
• The consequences of anger

Learning Self-Restraint

Anger Controlls Him (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Psalm 37:8

New International Version (NIV)

          I'm much better than I used to be.  Although I've never been overly contentious with others for the most part, I've had my fits of resistant anger.  I still can be very opinionated and under certain circumstances be willing to vocalize those opinions.   This often does more harm than good and in the end I am resentful and  relationships are strained.

         We have been in some crazy times of late.  We have seen the results of organized anger and the resulting evil.  As we grow nearer to the U.S. elections there will be many bitter and accusatory words flying in the air.   My advice is to listen carefully and only engage when the opposition wants to listen carefully to you.   This is the season when a lot of people are hearing a lot of words, but nobody understands much of anything that is said.

        When we don't listen, we don't know what has been said.  A blind shouting match is an invitation to hatred.  

My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger.  Anger does not help you live the way God wants.

James 1:19-20

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

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