Digging up the Root of Anger
Anger. We all feel it to one extent or another. We’ve all experienced it as a reaction to circumstances or how people treat us in different situations. Most times, we even believe we’re justified for feeling angry because we think we have the right to feel that way, especially if the cause of that anger is because of something that has happened to us or because of how someone has treated us. It is difficult not to feel angry when hearing about social injustices, or discovering when individuals who are in a leadership or authoritative role abuse their positions of power for their own personal gain. It is even more challenging to navigate the complexity of emotions that accompany anger when events or circumstances hit close to home: a friend’s struggling marriage, the lack of cooperation from insurance companies regarding certain aspects of my car crash case, frustration at myself for not handling certain situations or conversations with more grace, the current political climate, the disrespect being exhibited toward law enforcement … the list could go on. It is a struggle that I am constantly learning how to navigate through.
The problem with anger is that it goes much deeper than just being an emotion. It’s a heart condition. Scripture says not to sin in our anger or to let the sun go down while we are still angry[1]. If we dig even deeper, often those feelings of anger are rooted in rejection. One example from Scripture is regarding Cain and Abel. Cain felt rejected, became angry toward God, and in his anger, murdered his brother, Abel[2]. Another example is David’s eldest brother, Eliab. David had been sent by his father to bring supplies to his brothers who were at the front battle lines in a war with the Philistine army. David overhears Goliath taunting the Israelites and asks about the reward offered by King Saul in exchange for killing the giant[3]. When Eliab overhears David talking, he belittles him in front of everyone[4]. Eliab is jealous of David because David had been selected by God to be the next king of Israel[5]. Eliab’s heart was not right before God and the feelings of rejection and anger he had harbored in his heart were then exhibited in his reaction toward David.
When we allow the feelings of anger to control our reactions and heart attitudes toward situations, we are giving ground to Satan to establish an enemy stronghold. We are forgetting to walk in the freedom of what Christ accomplished on the cross when He took upon Himself all of the rejection and anger that we have ever felt or been subject to. He stands in the gap between our sin and God so that so that the wrath of God is not kindled against us for our anger or rejection toward God. In order to walk free from anger, we need to repent of our sinful reaction of that anger and the ungodly belief of rejection. We must constantly recharge our hearts and minds with the truth: that we are loved with an everlasting love and fully accepted in the Beloved[6].
In part of his sermon series, Goliath Must Fall, Louie Giglio says, “… anger, most of the time, is rooted in our inability to process the world under the canopy of the grace and love of Jesus.”[7] When we become angry, we need to stop, repent, and remember to walk forward in the love and grace of Jesus Christ and the freedom He has given us. We need to realize we are no longer bound by the shackles of rejection or anger because Christ sacrificed His life for us in the ultimate act of love to set us free. When we choose to walk in this freedom, we are acknowledging that Christ has won the victory. Each day, we are being sanctified into His image and we have the knowledge that one day God will be the One who brings true recompense for every wrong that has been done toward us or toward those we love.
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[1] Ps. 4:4; Eph. 4:26
[2] Gen. 4:3-16
[3] 1 Sam. 17:12-27
[4] 1 Sam. 17:28-30
[5] 1 Sam. 16:6-13
[6] Jer. 31:3 and Eph. 1:6
[7] Quote from the Goliath Must Fall series, Part 5: Anger Must Fall.