Anger! It is a highly charged emotion. Growing up as a pastor’s kid, I felt like anger was an emotion that I should keep under wraps. In my church world, I felt the answer to all questions was supposed to be “blessed.” As an adult, God has recently taught me a lesson that has changed my view of anger altogether.
Think about having a fever. What is the purpose of a fever? It is an indicator that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. A fever heightens our awareness that our bodies are fighting a sickness. God showed me that anger is just like a fever. It is an emotional indicator that there is a problem. More specifically, anger points out that we have unforgiveness in our hearts. Isn’t it interested that when we get angry we often say, “We are heated!”
In relationships, anger is often caused by something someone did, or did not do to us. If we feel guilty that we are acknowledging anger, we will deny it! Denying anger is dangerous because then we will deny that we are harboring unforgiveness.
When we take the time to identify our feelings, we can then make the powerful decision to change. If the mention of someone’s name sparks anger, flashing a quick smile and moving on will only prolong forgiving them. Our anger, is the gauge that tells us that we have hit above 98.6 degrees and we need to talk to the Doctor.
The bible says we are to love and pray for our enemies. That will get us back to a healthy temperature. God loves people and commands that we do too!
Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
The Lord’s prayer is how we are instructed to pray. Use the emotion of anger to pinpoint the areas in your life that you need to forgive.
Written for Gateway’s Magazine Studio G