The Anger Issue

I have heard it said this way, “We’ve been too forgiven to be unforgiving.”

In the end, anger never solves a problem; instead, it escalates the problem and actually causes more problems.

There’s an illustration of what holding onto anger can do, and the end is tragic.

A snake entered a carpentry shop, and as it crawled to the corner it slithered over a saw and hurt itself. It immediately bit at the saw but hurt its mouth as a result. Thinking the saw was attacking, the snake decided to roll itself around the saw to suffocate it. Unfortunately, the snake was killed in the attempt, as the saw’s blade dug in deeper and deeper the more the snake tried to coil itself around it.

Sometimes we react in anger and retaliate when someone hurts us, but like the snake, in our anger we only end up hurting ourselves, because anger and unforgiveness hurts us far more than those who have harmed us.

Someone described holding on to anger as picking up a red-hot coal intending to throw it at the person who hurt us, only to end up hurting ourselves.

If we want to be healed and move forward, forgiveness is the only way.

In the end, anger towards others doesn’t work and is harmful. Therefore, let’s begin by slowing our roll, and fast-track forgiveness.

Anger Issues Towards God

Whether we want to admit it, we do get angry with God. This was brought out earlier when we looked at the stories of Cain, Job, and Jonah. And we really aren’t any different.

We get angry with God when life doesn’t go our direction. When things happen that we don’t like, or circumstances happen that we couldn’t do anything about. And we blame God. Like when a relationship fails, and a breakup or divorce ensues. Or when a friend or family member passes away. And we’re now trying to figure out why while picking up the pieces of our lives that have been shattered.

And we get angry with God, accusing Him of doing us harm, instead of fixing the problem.

And while God is not the author of evil, that’s Satan, God can use what we’re going through to help teach us, and in the process help others cope and understand what they are going through, and then to turn to God who has the answers.

But the question becomes, are we ready to listen, and are we ready to hear what God is saying.

The Lord said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry?” And then asked, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” (When it withered), and Jonah said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” To which the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored … should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left.” (Jonah 4:4-11 NKJV)

Basically, God was telling Jonah that his anger issue was keeping him focused on the wrong thing and not that which is the most important.

The Apostle Paul tells us why we need to listen even through these hard and difficult times saying, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NKJV)