JustifiedSample

Anger clouds your brain. The madder you get, the harder it is to think straight. We don't grow big and green, but we can feel a lot like The Hulk — totally out of control, and ready to smash everything in sight. Our anger turns into hatred, and our hatred becomes a destructive force for everyone around us.

The secret to controlling your anger so that it doesn't become hatred isn't just to "stop being angry." It's to learn how to love the people you're angry at, even when you feel like lashing out instead. This isn't easy to learn how to do. It never has been. The people who wrote the Bible knew the struggle, too.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote down a long list of what people needed to stop doing when they got mad. He told them to "get rid of" things like bitterness, fighting, and talking about each other behind their backs. Instead, Paul told them the same thing he tells us: Forgive each other, like Jesus forgave us.

Forgiving someone who's made you mad can be just a little bit easier when you remember that Jesus forgave you. That example set the tone for how we should all act when someone has hurt us. It's easy to reach for hatred and bitterness. It's hard to reach for forgiveness and love. But with God's help, you can show grace even in the midst of your anger.