My thoughts on anger. . .

Anger is the Destroyer of Good Will--
Anger is everywhere, in our families, in our marriages, in the grocery store, on the road.
We all have expectations of how we should be treated, of what others should do, or not do and anger follows when our expectations are not met. We are angry when our husbands don’t call when running late. We are angry when the grocery clerk helps someone else when we were waiting first. We are angry when a friend betrays our trust.

Anger is a powerful emotion! It is like dry yeast used to make bread. When poured out of the package, a few small granules don’t look like much. When we add water and sugar, the yeast grows to fill the cup. Anger often has a life of its own, it grows and sucks in more people, more energy and more time.

I don’t think anger is wrong-- God equipped us with our emotions, anger being one of them. I think the problem is how we see or don’t see people when we are angry. I think it’s a problem when we feed our anger like the yeast and it grows to fill our cup.

A few weeks ago, I was angry! I was so angry I was consumed by it. For 24 hours I was consumed--I yelled and fought back. I said things like “How dare you!”, and “It’s none of your business!”. All the yelling and fighting did not help, the situation kept growing, involving more people, more anger and more hurt.

I finally came crying to the Lord and begged him to show me a way out of the anger that had consumed me for days. I found this verse. . .

Praise the Lord, Oh my soul and forget not all his benefits--Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:2-5

In that moment, on my knees, crying out to the Lord I realized he was forgiving my sin, he was healing my disease, he was redeeming my life from the pit, he crowned me with love and compassion and he satisfied my desires with his love and security.

My eyes were opened by the crown of love and compassion. For the first time I saw my situation in a different way. I was able to see the good intent of those who had hurt me. They meant well, it just went all wrong. I was able to see their pain, the pain they had suffered in the past, the rejection they had faced, the hurt they had endured. I realized that they acted out of theie past experience. I could see for the first time their behavior through love and compassion, not anger.

The Lord took my desire to hurt, to make them pay for how they treated me, and he satisfied my desires with good things-- his love and security. My heart was filled with joy as I felt the Savior take hold of me and change my view point.

I have decided from now on, when my anger is small like little dry yeast in the bottom of my cup, I will not feed it and add water. I will look through the crown of love and compassion, I will see the good intent. I will choose to see people as frail human beings who have experienced pain and suffering, rejection and hurt. I will have love and compassion. I will try to see the acting out as a reaction/symptom of past experiences. Even when I don’t know the person's past or their pain, I will try to remember all of us are damaged in one way or another, all of our emotions are fragile. I won’t make everything about me and take everything personally. Often what is directed at me is not about me, but about someone else’s hurt.

What would our world look like if all of us put on the crown of love and compassion? What would our churches look like? How would families and friendships be healed? It is a choice we all have to make-- what view point will we hold?

As for me, I choose love and compassion, the Lord will fill my desires with good things and my youth will be renewed like the eagles. I will choose to see good will. I will chose to not let anger be a destroyer, but an opportunity to show others the love and compassion Christ has shown me.