[New Life New Way] AngerSmakprov

  

Why Are We Angry?

It is very important to recognize what it is that makes us angry in the first place. Anger is a secondary emotion. It is a hostile response to a perceived provocation, hurt, or threat. It is dissatisfaction, irritation, frustration, or rage. Many times, it is hard for us to realize what we are really angry about.

Being angry may give us a feeling of control or power when we feel insecure, vulnerable, or fearful about something. Maybe we get angry at the person driving the car in front of us because they did something we did not like. And we start yelling at them, getting mad at them. So we get home angry, in a bad mood, thinking that the person driving that car in front of us is responsible for us being angry and in a bad mood, when in reality, what is making us mad happened long before we encountered that driver.

Have you ever thought about what really makes you angry? What puts you in a really bad mood every day? It may not be a bad driver, but something that is bothering you about your own life. Maybe it is something that you can change, but your focus is so distorted that you cannot see where the problem really is. So, you blame all these little things happening around you, instead of focusing on the root of the problem and trying to fix it.

Maybe you are angry because you have too many responsibilities—too many things to do. Or maybe your life did not turn out the way you hoped it would, and now you are angry. That is dissatisfaction. You can do something about that; you can change your life. Maybe you are angry because you did something wrong and it led to some unwanted consequences. You must know that you can change your life. You can always do something about it.

Until we discover what is really making us angry, it will always be disguised as something else.

Thought Of The Day: Learn to focus on what is making you really angry, and ask God for help to change whatever you need to change. Ask Him to help you give Him control over your thoughts and emotions.