Karen erupted all over her husband and kids – even kicking the dog. Slamming pots and pans in righteous indignation, she screamed at the top of her lungs, “IF I DON’T GET SOME HELP IN THIS KITCHEN ASAP NO ONE IS EATING TONIGHT!!! They didn’t unload the dishwasher, the dog pooped in the house (because no one walked him) and the family lounged in front of the T.V. – discarded socks, books, and backpacks strewn across the floor.
Sound familiar?
Doesn’t the verse say, “Be angry” (Ephesians 4:26)?! That alone confirms that anger is natural and necessary to propel us into fighting against wrong-doing!
Well…yes and no. Yes – anger at wrong behavior is necessary in order to fight for what is right.
No – erupting all over the fam (anger turned to wrath) is not right. (The rest of Ephesians 4:26 says “and sin not”.)
Anger is a powerful, shovel-like tool – you can use it improperly to bang people over the head, or you can use it properly to dig as a motivational tool. ~Chip Ingram, How to be good and mad
“Well, I just can’t help it. Their behavior is inexcusable and I’m literally at the end of my rope, plus I’m exhausted from CLEANING UP AFTER EVERYONE 24/7!!!”
I know. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.
Still doesn’t make it right. You know you feel terrible after screaming up a lung and destroying everyone in your path.
Here’s the good news: controlling anger is possible. YOU CAN DO IT.
You see, the reason we think controlling anger is beyond our reach is due to our unbelief.
We dismiss the fact that it’s even possible. And if we don’t believe God can change our behavior, then that means we don’t have a correct view of God.
When we see God more clearly, we see that it is possible for us to change.
Christ transforms a raging lunatic.
Remember the crazy lunatic who roamed the graveyard and broke the chains that bound him in Mark 5? This guy was uncontrollable. No one could do anything with him. His demon-possession lead others to believe all hope was lost.
But when Jesus and his disciples got off the boat and saw the guy, He commanded the unclean spirits to come out of him. It wasn’t without a fight, because many demons possessed this man. But Jesus solved the problem by transferring them to pigs, who ran down the mountain into the ocean and committed “Suey-cide”. (Ba-dump-pump.)
