8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. – Psalm 103:8-10
Anger is contagious. We see it in others – in those who raise us – and it ends up sticking to our own character like clothing on a humid day. It is difficult to shake. When the small and large matters of life fail to result in our favor, we quickly escalate, laying fire to those in our radius. The more we see anger, violence, fear, and gossip (which could be a verbal form of anger), the more it permeates within us and explodes beyond.
I would like to describe myself as “laid back”. There is a quote by the classic hip-hop act Beastie Boys, that describe someone as being as “cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce“. In different points of my life, you could describe my exterior in this way. Yet it is often easy to stay level headed when the external circumstances around you are mellow and uneventful – or we are able to place them in the proper context.
Sometimes, the hot sauce wins
There have been multiple opportunities for me to justify myself in anger. As a Christ-follower, I can spin this into “righteous anger”, which is simply an excuse for me to throw a tantrum. Mentally, I have made lengthy cases against those who have hurt me and these are becoming air tight. Yet, the anger I feel only seems to hurt myself. The more we hold on to anger (or grudges), the more it latches on to our own soul and blocks God’s redemptive plan which always includes uncomfortable forgiveness and a self-sacrificing laying down of pride.
God has been dealing with me lately in His incredible grace. While there are opportunities to grow upset, to raise my voice in this righteous anger, I have lost the need to do so. My Lord continues to prove His control over this world and its mundane details. If He is fighting for me, what do I have to worry about? Why look back in anger when there is redemption in my future?
Matt simon blog 