I will lift up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. (1 Timothy 2:8)
Some people get angry for little to no reason at all. But not me; my anger is ALWAYS justified.
My anger is neither my fault nor my problem. It is always the result of the actions of the people around me, so if the people around me would just get their acts together, they wouldn’t have to deal with my anger.
You see, I don’t get angry; people make me angry. It’s not a decision that I make, it just happens to me. So when someone makes me angry and wants to talk about it with me, I know that they are just shirking the need to take responsibility for their actions. Instead of telling me that they are hurt by my anger, they should be taking responsibility for the fact that they made me angry. Instead of asking me for an apology, they should be apologizing to me for getting me all riled up inside.
You see, I learned a long time ago that I am not responsible for my emotions; others are. And since the people around me are so notoriously incompetent, I am angry all the time. I know I need God’s help, and so I ask for it every day.
O Lord, I thank you that you see what I have to deal with every day. The people that you’ve placed in my life make me so mad! And so I lift up my [angry] hands to you in prayer this very day, asking you to give me your patience that I might put up with them a little longer. And give them wisdom so that they learn how to stop making me so angry all the time! Help them to take responsibility for their actions (and my emotions) so that they be more successful in life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
[This post makes use of irony as a rhetorical device, and is designed to help us see how foolish and irresponsible anger is. These remarks do not reflect my opinion of the wonderful people that God has placed in my life. :-)]
Share your thoughts:
How prone are you to anger? I’m not talking about angry outbursts, but anger in general. Do you harbor it in your heart? Does this post help you understand the need to take responsibility for it before the Lord?
