ANGER ISSUES

Physical symptoms of anger include a racing heartbeat, faster breathing, headaches, stomach aches, frowning, sweating and tensed muscles in fists or jaws.  There may be other less obvious behavioural signals such as cold shouldering, withdrawn eye contact and other verbal or negative body language.  It is a powerful and deep emotion that can seethe inwardly like a volcano waiting to erupt as pressure builds towards the surface where it issues forth.  Once it breaks through, like sulphurous larvae, it is unpredictable and can destroy all in its path.  You may not have seen a volcano erupt but the chances are that you have either witnessed anger, been a victim of it or perhaps it is something that you struggle to contain within yourself.  How is it best to deal with anger that is directed against you or that you may feel internally?  Suppressing it will simply mean it breaks out in another place at another time.

  • ‘It's so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health’ – Joyce Meyer
  • ‘Every day we have plenty of opportunities to get angry, stressed or offended. But what you're doing when you indulge these negative emotions is giving something outside yourself power over your happiness. You can choose to not let little things upset you’ – Joel Osteen

FORGIVENESS

Like all the good gifts from God our Father, forgiveness is something we need and something we must share.  You could apply that to most things – our time, our money, our love … our smile! 

At their request, Jesus gave his disciples a model prayer, which included asking ‘our Father in Heaven’ to ‘forgive us our sins . . .’ followed immediately by ‘. . . as we forgive those who sin against us.’  (Matthew 6:12).   Stephen, the first Christian martyr, echoed Jesus’ words from the cross as he was stoned to death for his faith:  ‘Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing!’ (Acts 7:60).  The parable of the unforgiving servant ends with the sobering words ‘if you do not forgive neither will you be forgiven’ (Matthew 18:35).