The professionals tell us that depression is anger turned inward. Actually as you know, there are several things we can do with our anger; we can stuff it, take it out on others like “dragon-breath,” or we can learn from it and use it to fuel future solutions. I believe God when He tells us He created each of us in His image, including soul and spirit. I break soul into mind, will, and emotions. And God said that man, His creation, was good. So my extension of this is that includes our emotions as good. Actually it’s how we respond to them that is either good or bad, but He intended them all for our good.
As we consider anger today, we all understand that body, soul, and spirit are very tightly coupled, each affecting the other either positively or negatively. For example anger turned inward (stuffed) can result in ulcers and in depression. Anger expressed without restraint toward others can harm or batter or kill them. It can also scare or demean them to the extent that our relationship suffers and may take a long time to re-build trust again. For example see Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won over than a strong city, and [their] contentions separate them like the bars of a castle.
Often our anger stems from perceived injustice. But it is likely that many times we don’t know a lot of the surrounding facts. Especially when your anger is with God, it is wise to seek out what His perspective is through His word and through prayer. Someone who knows God and has had a long experience of Him through daily living can likely give some help, healing, and prayer for you. Jesus certainly understands and has experienced similar things to your hurt. His voluntary death for our sins allowed Him to withstand the torture of jealous and angry men who felt threatened by Him. He was not only a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, but His anger scared many out of the temple as He expressed His righteous anger against the commercial and unholy misuse of the temple which was to be a House of Prayer.
The only thorough antidote to our anger is to personally experience the love and forgiveness Jesus offers as our savior and Lord. That is also the only antidote to turn away God’s wrath against us who have dishonored Him both as our creator and our redeemer. “Vengeance is mine” says the Lord. Are you courageous enough to learn from your anger and turn it over to God so He can Heal you with His love and forgiveness? Or do you plan to take your anger with you to your grave, shaking your fist at God?
