Acknowledging Anger

What makes you angry? Lots of things make me angry. Sometimes, I don’t even know why I feel angry, and I try to figure it out. Other times, I do know why, but I don’t think my anger is justified. Either way, I usually end up feeling frustrated and it becomes a whole huge angry mess. What are we supposed to do when we’re angry? One day I was going for a walk outside, and I noticed that I felt angry and I didn’t know why. But then I remembered hearing someone say that being angry is not wrong; however, the right thing to do with anger is to submit it to God. I didn’t really know how to do that. So, I thought I’d just start by acknowledging my anger to God. I don’t know if I used words in my prayer, but the posture of my heart was this: “God, I’m angry. I don’t even know why. Here it is.” And then, I immediately had this sense that He knew. And He understood. And just knowing that He knew made me feel less angry. I even started to feel calm. For no reason except that I had come before God. Isn’t our God so merciful? I’m filled with gratitude when I ponder how patient He is, how compassionate, how gentle. My anger is not too much for God. It may be too much for me, but that’s okay. I belong to God, and He sees me. He wants to take the things that are too heavy for me to carry. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rEsther Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Maybe submitting my anger to God is simpler than I thought. Maybe all I need to do is come to Him. • Hannah Howe • When do you feel angry? Have you ever felt like you weren’t allowed to be angry? • Sometimes anger is a good thing that can lead us to pursue justice and holiness. But it’s not healthy for us to stay angry for long. What helps you when you’re angry? Be angry and do not sin. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger. Ephesians 4:26 (CSB)