Anger: Your Strongest Emotion - Day 66

Anger: Your Strongest Emotion
Day 66

"BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4:26 NASB).

The Bible instructs you to be angry! Anger by itself is not a sin, and it is one of the most common emotions associated with grief.

"I went through that shock and denial period for about three months," says Dora after the death of her daughter. "Then suddenly, as the shock wore off and the reality set in-anger. Intense anger. Just wanting to wail, to scream from the depths. There's no way I could express as much anger as I was feeling."

You need to release your anger in a way that is productive for healing and not harmful to others around you. To release your anger does not mean to lash out, to throw a fit, or to lose control of it; releasing your anger involves the open and honest expression of your emotions in a way that is physically, mentally, and emotionally freeing. You can do this by expressing your anger to God in prayer (don't hold back!). You can release your anger in the presence of a person who will listen quietly and neither judge nor offer advice. Another healthy way to release anger is to write down every angry thought that comes to mind until you cannot think of another angry sentence to write. Some people find that expressing their anger out loud, and loudly, in a private place is helpful.

The fat that you should "not let the sun go down on your anger" means you should deal with it when it is present. Don't go to sleep and forget it, only to have it come back in greater strength later.

Holy Spirit, grant me the freedom and opportunity to release my anger in a way that helps, not hurts. Amen.

~ This is a good lesson. I was so full of anger that I was lashing out at the one person that I am supposed to protect. I was yelling at Justice and I didn't realize it. He would do things that annoyed me and I would raise my voice. Instead of talking to him, I was yelling at him or through him really. I finally notice and I cried and prayed about it. I didn't want to be this angry person. It was because I was stuck in this place of angry with God and I felt bad about it. How was I supposed to exclaim to God when HE was the one that I was angry with??!!! Once I said in grief share out loud that I was angry at God, it was like a release. I felt a little ashamed because I was in a church and was with Christian people, but it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders because I had been holding on to that for a while. That was in November of 2012. In February, the same class came around again. This time I shared that I was just angry period. I was tired and just utterly exhausted of being angry at any and everything. Just the slightest thing would set me off. Once I shared that, it brought it to the forefront in my mind and I was able to realize that I was still doing it. I think before it was rage and it had simmered down to just anger, yet it was still rearing its ugly head. Regardless, I didn't want it anymore weighing down my spirit. I prayed and they prayed for me and today I am in a better place. I try not to let everything anger me. If I notice that I am getting angry over something silly or something I have no control over, then I ask myself why I am really angry. Is there something that is bothering me other than the situation I think is? It really has become a lesson of self evaluation and learning to take that step back in order to move forward.