There is a famous line from the movie Network. “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.”
Let’s talk about that – anger. The Bible warns us, “Let not the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).
There are actually two distinct kinds of anger identified in the Greek New Testament. First, there is thumos, which is an immediate outbreak of passion. Then there is orge, which refers to lingering anger or bitterness.
Both are bad.
Notice that Paul didn’t deny the reality of anger in our lives. He simply said to not let it linger.
The ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras (credited with the Pythagorean Theory) had a loyal band of disciples who hung on every word he spoke. Pythagoras implemented a practice for his followers, requiring that if they ever became angry with one another, by the end of that day they were to embrace, shake hands, and move on.
In recovery, you can hang onto your anger. But then you won’t make it very far in recovery.
Recovery Step: Anger is simply a poor expression of pain. So deal with the pain and release the anger.
