Roadblocks of Anger

Anger can be like the water behind a dam.  One small crack can start with a trickle, but can quickly move in to a gusher.  Occasionally, that gusher may be handled but not really taken care of; thus you still have anger leaking.  The leakage will prevent the water from doing what it is designed to do.  Generally, in the case of a dam, it is designed to provide hydro energy for the purpose of creating energy/electricity.  The reservoir will also house lots of marine life, so a leak could be damaging to the environment of those marine animals.

As we looked at Jesus addressing anger from Matthew 5:21-26, our focus was looking at anger being a roadblock to your relationship with Him and that anger is the type that is “without cause”.  Here are some applications to choose from to use this week…

1. Cut Phone Line ~ In a Dr. Seuss book of my son’s (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish) there is a page where to beings are trying to talk to each other on the phone but cannot due to a mouse cutting the cord.  The two are wanting to communicate, but cannot.  That is similar to the way anger can keep us from effectively communicate with Him.  We want to, but our anger is preventing us from being able to communicate.  Anger is the mouse that has cut the cord…get rid of the anger and repair the line!
2. Energy Wasted ~ Not only can anger be a roadblock to your relationship with Him, but it is also wasted energy. One of the areas it is wasted are the times when you do not approach a person based on your anger, but rather you stew about it.  You roll the hypotheticals around in your mind so much that you are totally consumed.  You will never get those moments back, so why not try to work things out or let them go so they are not consumed with anger?
3. Justifiability ~ As you examine your anger, make sure it is able to be justified.  That doesn’t mean that you justify it just because it bothers you.  If you’re anger is a result of something that has caused you to simply be upset or bothered, that probably doesn’t count.  Anger against a sin is justifiable.  Anger that is simply against a person is not.  Do not be angry with your brethren or to call them a “fool” for a superficial reason. These are dangerous situations in which you may be subject to “court” or “judgment”.

Anger is selfish and a choice.  You may react to something which causes you to be angry, but the extent of the anger is up to you.  Sure it may anger you that someone cut you off in traffic, but let it go.  Sure it may anger you that they replaced the pews with chairs, but let it go.  Sure it may anger you that your child is being bullied, but let it go.  Some of those may be difficult to let go, but try to find a positive way to address the situation. Addressing it in a positive way will make you more effective rather than having a roadblock to your effectiveness.

Keeping my (prolonged) anger in check!