Got Anger? Name it to Tame it

Road rage. Anger Management. Livid. In your face. Hot-blooded. Had a meltdown. Lost their cool. Flipped out. Threw a fit. Blew a gasket. All we have to do is open up our newsfeed and see that anger -- live and in color! But anger isn't exclusive to politicians and high profile leaders. Even professing followers of Christ are subject to anger. I was amused when I went with a friend to buy a new door for her bathroom. Why? Because anger got the best of her when the door was locked from the inside again. The logical thing to do in that instant? Kick a big hole in the door! NOT!

I read this scripture -- the words of Jesus when He was speaking about murder and anger. “Under the laws of Moses the rule was, ‘If you murder, you must die.’ But I have added to that rule and tell you that if you are ONLY angry, even in your own home, you are in danger of judgment! If you call your friend an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse him, you are in danger of the fires of hell." (Matthew 5:21-22) Lord, have mercy on us!

But, let's be real -- our generation isn't the first to be in need of anger management classes. The truth is that many saints struggled with controlling their anger. Historians think Jesus nicknamed the apostles James and John the “Sons of Thunder” because of their anger. St. Paul was known for his angry outbursts whenever he felt that the gospel he preached was being misunderstood.

In the scripture above, Jesus said uncontrolled anger will reap the same consequences as killing someone. Yikes!! So how can we get our anger under control? The only lasting way is to strive for being "fruit bearers" with the fruit of the Spirit active in our lives. That beautiful fruit is listed in Galatians 5:22-23: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Rather than paying for high dollar psychiatric sessions in anger management, the Holy Spirit gave us FREE fruit to keep us at peace and free of anger!

Who wants to be in the same category of those red-faced, ranting and raving folks who are aligning themselves with the spoiled and bad fruit? I want to be aligned with fully devoted followers of Christ -- striving to be very God-aware and self-aware of those things that trigger anger. Personal confession here. I was blaring my horn yesterday when I nearly ran into a guy who cut in front of me too close in traffic. Honestly, road rage is so easy to come by and I certainly am aware of my need to hone in on the fruit of patience and kindness.

St. Francis recommends saying something as simple as “Have mercy upon me, O Lord.” Prayer and drawing upon the fruit of the Holy Spirit are our number one weapons against anger.
If St. John can go from being a Son of Thunder to an apostle of love by walking with Jesus, so can we. With prayer, and patient perseverance—and the help of the Holy Spirit—we can begin to set aside our anger and become a disciple of love.

“Have mercy on me, O Lord! Help me to turn to you whenever anger rears its head.”