We have spent the last week criticizing anger. There is a reason for that. Anger – when left untreated – can lead to addiction, break up marriages, and destroy lives.
But what if we make anger work for us instead of against us? Let me explain. If you respond to your periods of anger, instead of trying to ignore them, three productive outcomes may result.
- Self-improvement
- Course correction
- Renewed recovery
The editorial staff of American Addiction Centers writes, “Anger is not necessarily bad, as all emotions have functional attributes.” In other words, God can take your anger and turn it into something positive.
Often, the genesis of anger is fear – of the past or future. Theologian Groucho Marx responds: “Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day – today – and I’m going to be happy in it.”
“Anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:20).
You can’t avoid anger altogether. But what you can do is learn from it – then let it go. Until you learn to control your anger, your anger will control you.
Recovery Step: Make your anger work for you instead of against you. How? By learning from it. And one other thing – live for today!
