Written by Netisha Alie-Grant
Definition: According to the Cambridge Dictionary 'Anger' is defined as "a strong feeling that makes you want to hurt someone or be unpleasant because of something unfair or unkind that has happened."
Anger though a very natural emotion and reaction to the things we experience, is actually energy that you can channel into something beneficial to you and or others.
The Bible’s most well known scripture on Anger is Ephesians 4:26 “be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath”
Thus Paul is urging us to naturally feel this emotion, experience it but keep it at bay so that it does not result in us “losing our salvation...” i.e "hurting someone or being unpleasant."
I must confess that it was very easy for me to get angry but since I gave my heart to Jesus, the still small voice of God just won’t let me stay there for too long. As a result I am also able to get rid of it just as easily once I have expressed it.
So how does one, especially a Christian, express their anger without committing a sin or more?
We are commonly told to control our anger to ensure it doesn’t yield destructive fruits but do we want to hold our anger in and suppress it? Do we want to “let the sun go down on our wrath...” Because doing so isn’t healthy.
So how do we get angry and sin not?
Here are a few suggestions that may be useful:
- Talk to God about it: Seriously tell Him like it is and exactly how you feel! “Lord I want to speak profanity, I am angry I feel hate....” He already knows everything. This is exactly what praying is, talking & listening to God in the purest ways.
- Try a stress ball or other soft material ( a stuffed animal a pillow) that can handle the pressure. Squeeze the hell (because that's what it can feel like: hell) out of something that has no feelings yet soft so it doesn’t hurt your hands & you’re not hurting it either.
- Go to your anger expression place, it could be throwing stones at the water or breaking things in a junk yard or even using a sledge hammer to break the ground; depending on the soil type you might just create the foundation for something great in the process.
- Take a walk & talk to yourself or go up to the mountain top or to a quiet place where no one else will think that you’re crazy and scream or CRY!
- Exercise! Remember anger is energy that you can channel into something useful. Why not up your game on those push ups & squats? Your body will thank you for it!
Everyone handles their emotions (anger) differently however the above are 5 suggestions to go through that very natural part of your life without any negative consequences: SIN.
What are some ways you express anger healthily? Leave a comment below to share!
Sources: Cambridge Dictionary, (n.d) Anger, retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/anger
