Have you ever gotten up in the morning and felt angry from the get go and didn’t know why? Well, I did, not too long ago, and let me assure you that it most definitely was not the way I wanted to start my day.
I don’t really know why, other than I faintly remember being in the midst of an angry dream. I’m not quite sure what I was dreaming about, but I was most definitely angry. In fact, I cannot even describe the extent of my anger but it was intense enough that it woke me before the alarm went off and left me feeling…crunchy. And unfortunately, I’m ashamed to say, my poor husband woke up a little later and had to bear the brunt of it.
I did warn him that I was feeling a bit crunchy, but he made a comment and I snapped at him. It wasn’t a comment designed to make me snap, he just happened to catch me in the midst of my attempting to cool down. I had already done my Bible study for the morning, I had even prayed a little, but let’s just say that sometimes these darn emotions are hard to get over.
I did tell him that I was sorry and he graciously accepted my apology and offered me forgiveness, but I still felt angry, and the worst part of it was the fact that I had no idea why!
Have you ever had days like this? It’s not good, let me tell you, but it reminds me of the verse, Ephesians 4:26…
I had to face the fact there are going to be days when I’m angry. There are going to be times when I feel slighted, or offended, or someone hurts my feelings, or I simply wake up from a dream feeling crunchy. And you know what? It’s okay. It’s a part of life. Anger is a real emotion that will surface from time to time. But here’s the kicker.
It’s how I deal with the anger that is important.
Anger tends to make people careless. We give no thought to our words or our actions, we don’t take into consideration how our anger will affect those around us, the anger simply consumes us. When we’re angry, we do stupid things. We say stupid things. And more times than we want to admit anger does lead us into sin. And it’s not just today’s headlines that I’m talking about, it’s a matter of our heart, because that is where sin begins. (Matthew 15:19)
That is why it’s so important to deal with anger immediately. That’s also why the Bible urges us not to ‘stay angry all day‘, because the longer we let it simmer the more it becomes entwined with our hearts and the more likely we are to act out in ways that are neither beneficial nor healthy nor pleasing to God.
I had a choice that morning. I could either let my anger consume me, or I could let it go. Every time I am faced with my anger I have to make this choice and I am not too proud to say that I don’t always make the right one. It’s not easy to do. In fact, it’s the exact opposite of easy because dealing with my anger means that I have to have self-control, and the willingness to give up any claim to it, even if it’s deserved, but the result of doing so is so much better than spending the day angry.
In return for letting go of my anger I get joy, peace, right relationships, and it makes God’s heart happy. And I gotta say, that makes it worth the effort.