Anger: Is it in you?

In general, I do not consider myself to be an angry person.  I like to think of myself as laid back, easy going, and only angered by extreme offenses. 

What about you?  I would bet that you would not consider yourself to be a person who is easily angered.  Anger is not something that we like to readily admit about ourselves but something that we are quick to notice (and possibly point out) in others.

I must stop and point out that there is such a thing as righteous anger.  One such example of this is when Jesus clears the temple after he witnesses the sinful and abusive ways that the people were using his Father's house.  He was angered by the sin of the people.  This is not the anger I am referring to in this post.  The anger that I am referring to is the one caused almost always by our selfishness.  For instance, we get angry when we don't get our way or when we have some sort of injustice carried out upon us.  This happened to me just this past week.

One day last week, I arrived at church on a typical weekday morning to find no parking spots out front.  The parking spots were not occupied by cars.  Instead, they were all taken by large delivery trucks, which are not allowed to park there in the first place.  This is actually a regular occurrence, but for some reason this really made me angry.  I'm not certain why this upset me so much that day, but it did.  I ended up parking just a little ways down the street and walked to my office infuriated.  I didn't say or do anything outwardly, but I was boiling on the inside.

It was not until I settled in my office that God's Spirit started to convict my heart and speak to me.  God led me to a specific passage of Scripture: James 1:19-20.  It says, "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires."  This verse spoke to my heart and God used it to humble me.  It is amazing how God's Spirit leads us to specific Bible verses when we need them.  That is why it is so important that we read God's Word daily.

What makes you angry?  When your parents tell you no or when they ask you to do something?  Homework?  Your brothers/sisters?  Inconsiderate people?  Make sure to do a self analysis and ask God to reveal areas in your life where anger has control of you. 

And remember, "man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires."