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bigmike

How Do We Choose to Be Loving and Not Angry?
But God said to Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?” “I do,” he said. “I am angry enough to die.” Jonah 4:9
Everybody these days is subject to stress. Whether you live in Manila, Tokyo, or Ukraine somewhere, you live at a faster pace than at any time in history. It’s the traffic, the pressures and the stress of life, along with family stress that can cause you to reach the boiling point, and when that happens, you explode. You can refine the expression and say you’re just “letting off steam,” but any way you look at it, anger has the best of you. When your temper gets out of hand, you are embarrassed and feel disappointed with yourself because you know you have hurt others. Looking at it from a selfish point of view, you not only hurt others, but you hurt yourself and your future as well.
The Apostle Paul offered some guidelines, some good advice to those of us struggling with strong emotional feelings. He counseled, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you’re still angry” (Ephesians 4:26). Phillips puts it like this, “If you’re angry be sure it’s not out of wounded pride and bad temper. Never go to bed angry—don’t give the devil that sort of foothold.” Commenting on Paul’s advice, George Gardiner tells how he once visited a gift shop. His attention was captured by a large bottle-stopper type cork, trimmed with sequins, nestled in tissue in a plastic box. The card that went with it read, “For the hole in your head when you blow your top.” It’s a pretty clever reminder that when you “blow your top” you’re the one who gets the headache.
In his book, None of These Diseases, Dr. S. I. McMillen has a chapter on anger and how it affects you physically. In this chapter entitled, “The High Cost of Getting Even,” Dr. McMillen tells of a little lady, well into her eighties, who came in frequently to have her blood pressure checked. He said it usually hovered at around 200. One day though it soared to over 230. Inwardly, he was alarmed, but calmly he said, “Your blood pressure is up today.” With a smile the little lady answered, “I can easily account for that. I just had an argument with another patient in your waiting room.” Dr. McMillen said, “Think of it: that cultured, intelligent woman could have blown a cerebral ‘fuse’ and suffered a fatal stroke. Her diagnosis of the spectacular rise of her blood pressure was correct.”
How modern is Paul’s advice, “Be angry and do not sin.” The Apostle is not saying that all anger is sin, but recognizing that anger is a poison to your body and soul, he advised you to get the anger out of your system—and he doesn’t mean by telling so-and-so just what you think of him or her. Jesus was angry with hypocrisy, selfishness, yes, and no less than sin. Our problem is usually ourselves; we’re afraid somebody will take advantage of us, or that somebody else will get the praise we deserve.
In place of letting anger and malice breed hatred and sin, Paul says love can be a catalyst that removes misplaced and unjustified anger. Listen to his advice: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).
If you have a ferocious, unwieldy temper, admit it. Ask God’s help in overcoming that temper. And you will find God’s power and strength to make life worth living.
Resource reading: Ephesians 4:1-32

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