Many of us have been taught that it is wrong to be angry. This thinking weighs heavily in both the sacred and secular domains. Is that thinking right or wrong?
Ruby Bayan saw this when she scoured publications seeking statements about anger made by some well-known and anonymous sources. She cites several in her article, "What They Say About Anger."
"Anger is one letter short of danger," an unknown spokesperson said. Similarly, Thomas Fuller taught that "anger is one of the sinews of the soul; he that wants it hath a maimed mind." A Malabar Proverb claimed, "Anger is as a stone cast into a wasp's nest." Samurai Maxim warned, "the angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life." Thomas Carlyle charged, "The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves." And Louis L'Armour challenged that "anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers for each rage leaves him less than he had been before-it takes something from him."
While we nod our heads in agreement with much that is taught about the waywardness of anger and the destruction it may bring individuals and organizations, we cannot escape what Jesus and the apostle Paul taught in the New Testament. Matthew, in chapter five, verse twenty-two of the book that bears his name, reported that Jesus said it is right to be angry if we have a just cause.
Then Paul, in chapter four, verse twenty-six of his letter to the church in Ephesus, taught they could be angry without committing sin. In other words, Paul, like Jesus, suggested there must be a legitimate reason for anger. Likely, he had dealing with the false teachers who brought devious doctrines into the church in mind. Whatever, the apostle urged the church members in Ephesus to deal with problems carefully and not go to bed angry.
While the false teacher issue was probably foremost in Paul's mind, settling conflicts before the sun went down sounds like a lesson in family matters-a subject he addressed forcefully in Ephesians, chapter five. There the apostle spoke about the notion of submissiveness-a subject disliked and distorted by many wives and husbands. While Paul taught in Ephesians chapter five, verse twenty-two--a text highly touted by husbands who have a zeal to control and manipulate--that wives are to submit themselves to their husbands, many men miss the lesson in the preceding verse. The truth is-according to Ephesians, chapter five, verse twenty-one, and the most overlooked text in the chapter--husbands and wives should submit themselves to each other.
Clearly, disputes between husbands and wives didn't originate in modern times. They were part of ancient family life too. Paul taught that problems might arise in households in New Testament times that could make mates angry, but forgiveness should be enacted before the sun went down.
When is it right to be angry? We are right, when we have a legitimate cause. When our thinking squares with what Jesus and Paul taught we then commit ourselves to turn the cause for anger into correcting the problem that created the cause-and do so before going to bed!
Dr A H Barbee is a minister and educator who has served as pastor for growing churches, consultant with businesses and Fortune 500 corporations, and professor with colleges and universities in interdisciplinary studies in the humanities, organizational behavior and management. He holds the PhD in Human Resource Development.
Culver prom limo ..Our Creator is an infinitely loving and generous provider -... Read More
A magnificent source of life insurance and it's FREE. You... Read More
Perhaps one of the most wonderful assertions that can be... Read More
There is a concept in Jewish mystical thought known as... Read More
Knowing what is right and what is wrong in your... Read More
Green Principles: SoulBestABeing aware here now My path is progressive.... Read More
For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More
When my dad was nearing the end of his life... Read More
David understood the aguish only those who have chosen to... Read More
The contrast between the two men could not have been... Read More
What is a Christian? According to The American Heritage? Dictionary... Read More
I am deeply drawn to the above Irish Blessing.This blessing... Read More
Attract and hold your family at home with some unique... Read More
What does it take to live life holistically?It definitely does... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
There is an prayer process in every religion and everyone... Read More
At the start of your dream journey, one of the... Read More
Many of you already own several lucky charms or talismans.... Read More
What the Animals Tell Us"I am the Sun's son. I... Read More
Connor, a man in his late 40's, has achieved everything... Read More
Someone asked me the other day what was the most... Read More
Being critical of Buddhism isn't easy.Buddhism is the most likable... Read More
Sometimes, in traveling a path, we discover a short-cut, and... Read More
In life, sooner or later, we come to the midnight... Read More
When I was a child, I thought as a child,... Read More
Wood Dale limo ..Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More
The lighter side of Tarot deals with games played using... Read More
Lonely Song"a box of paints - lament for my da"It... Read More
The human race had their beginning, and I had mine... Read More
In part one, I described an existence that is absolute,... Read More
Sometimes showing up for life can seem like a major... Read More
I have a long-term goal--a life-long goal really--to develop the... Read More
God said, "Thou shalt not?" and we continue to tell... Read More
Most forms of psychotherapy I know either tries to help... Read More
Sometimes trying to be spiritual holds us back from actually... Read More
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls... Read More
70% of people who send me feedback at http://www.insideoutmusic.net tell... Read More
Freedom....The cherished goal of humanity throughout its history.No society has... Read More
Hopefully you're reading this article because you're intrigued by the... Read More
This question, "what is grace" plagued me more into knowing... Read More
"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as... Read More
I can see the cops coming! They're a good thousand... Read More
Excerpt from The Journey That Never Was: a guide to... Read More
Spiritual Inspiration Music is about Love, Growth, Spiritual and Personal... Read More
Divining Rods, also known as Dowsing Rods, have been used... Read More
My lady Lydia was a Hawkins of the ancestry of... Read More
We have all heard the phrase, "follow your nose". This... Read More
Many of our great religions hold that numbers contain hidden... Read More
Don't be confused that a saint is a religious leader... Read More
The bible has many accounts throughout time that He used... Read More
Spirituality |