Why Are You So Mad?预览

Why are you angry? 

Considering the matter of anger, we could certainly conclude that anger is a secondary emotion; it is the result of another feeling. Anger is at the surface, but the emotion that triggers it is the root of the problem. That is the answer to your why. It is precisely this which makes the difference between legitimate anger (not sinful) and illegitimate anger (sinful). The question that we should ask ourselves is the following: “why am I angry?” Is it because of my preferences or is it because of God’s purposes? There is a vast difference between the two. 

When you get angry because your desires are not met, the reason behind your why is your preferences. There is something that you want, but that you are not getting. This can be: respect, love, the fastest lane in the highway, a parking space, the best table at a restaurant, and so on.  Your selfishness is being confronted, and you want to “fight back.” You feel that you “deserve” something that you are not getting. We get frustrated because of unmet expectations. 

The second reason behind your why is utterly different. You get angry because God’s purposes are challenged. Something illegitimate takes place, and that makes us angry. Some people call this “holy anger.” William Wilberforce headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. He and other evangelicals were horrified by what they perceived as a depraved and un-Christian trade, and the greed and avarice of the owners and traders of slaves. God created men in His image and likeness. To see these truths challenged raised “holy anger” in Christians who put God’s purposes first. 

Jesus is always the ultimate example of legitimate anger. In today’s Bible reading you will see some examples of legitimate anger expressions and the reasons behind them. The question we should all ask when anger arises is, why am I angry? The answer will allow us to realize its legitimacy. 

Thought of the Day

When I get angry, I need to ask myself, “Why am I angry? Is it because my preferences or God’s purposes are being challenged?”