UNPACK This...Letting Go of Angerনমুনা

Anger Management

Heading into the final game of the 2023 regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves wanted to ensure they would be at full strength when the playoffs started. Unfortunately, the team failed horribly at its goal.

After picking up a foul in the first quarter, starting forward, Jaden McDaniels punched a wall in frustration, breaking his hand and knocking him out of the playoffs.

Just minutes later, center, Rudy Gobert and forward, Kyle Anderson began arguing with each other on the bench during a timeout.

After a heated verbal exchange, Gobert punched his teammate, causing the team to suspend him for the first play-in game of the postseason.

All of us experience some level of anger as we deal with other people. The challenge, however, is to learn how to deal with anger so it doesn’t lead to greater sin.

The Bible makes it clear that anger coming from our flesh isn’t pleasing to God.

Psalm 37:8 says, “Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil”

But if all of us are prone to get angry, how can we avoid acting out of anger and dishonoring God?

We can begin by tactfully removing ourselves from situations that cause anger and spending time in prayer, asking God to help us and reveal the root cause of our anger.

We must address whether our anger is brought on by our own issues, such as needing to get our own way, not trusting God’s providence, or refusing to extend grace to others.

It’s also important that we help diffuse situations by not exasperating the problem.

Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

God’s grace is sufficient to cover every sinful moment of anger we have. But we need to recognize that God’s grace has equipped us to be people who refrain from anger.

So today, let’s emulate our God, who describes Himself as “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6). Let’s put off the anger of our flesh and be people who bring peace in tumultuous circumstances.

I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for when I’ve let my anger lead me into sin. Help me be slow to anger and handle difficult situations in a way that honors You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.