Anger! What happened to our right to be angry?

Hello Guys and Gals!

I would like to talk about anger today. Is there ever a time when anger is appropriate? Or is it always inappropriate to be angry with anyone? I think anger is an emotion that has become politically incorrect. In today's society, you do not have the right anymore to be angry. It does not matter how much wrong someone has done to you, if you get angry with them, they use your anger against you by accusing you of anger and thereby minimizing their own abuse of you in the process. Does anyone else see this as being wrong other than me?

When Paul talks about Christian living he says in Colossians 3:8, 'But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.' It is clear that Paul does not condone anger. Even James tells us in James 1:19-20, 'But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.' But James does not say that we do not have appropriate times to be angry. He says be slow to anger, not do not get angry!

Even Paul talks about anger in his letter to the Ephesians, 'Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.' Ephesians 4:26-27. Paul is very clear here that it is okay to be angry, but he also goes on to say that you should not go to bed angry or let the sun go down on your anger.

What then do we say on whether or not we have the right to be angry? I think anger is not something we should condone. But neither should we prohibit it. I think anger should be reserved for those times when it is right to use it to show others how they have truly wronged you.

But let me be very clear here, just because I believe anger is appropriate at times, never do I believe that it is a reason to do violence! Never should anyone resort to violence! Even more so if they are angry! When you are angry, the very last thing you should do is violence of any kind! I know it seems like the two go together, but they should be separated and kept apart on purpose. Anger with violence always leads to sin.

But more to the point, anger has become a politically incorrect thing in today's society. Today, one of my health care providers did something wrong. As a result, I got angry with them. In expressing my anger to them, my voice raised up an octave or two. They accused me of 'yelling' at them. I explained to them that just because my voice was raised, that it did not mean I was yelling. I told them also that I could provide a good example of me yelling if they did not believe me. I also explained that their attempt to minimize their fault in doing me wrong was unappreciated. Since when do we not have the right to tell someone how they have wronged us when we are angry? I don't remember ever giving up that right.

Here is the definition of yell:

yell   [yel]

–verb (used without object)

1. to cry out or speak with a strong, loud, clear sound; shout: He always yells when he is angry.

2. to scream with pain, fright, etc.

You'll notice that both definitions include either the word shout or scream. Just because you raise your voice to someone does not mean that you are shouting or screaming at them. Anyone who is being reprimanded for being at fault in some way or another uses the term 'yell' in referring to their reprimand. Why do they do this? It is an easy answer in my opinion. They do this in an attempt to draw the focus away from their own fault in the matter and try to place the focus on something that is seen to be more politically incorrect in today's political climate, that of anger!

What about the politicians of today? They get elected to office making promises they never intended to keep. As a matter of fact, they go in the complete opposite direction of those promises. Yet anyone who gets angry and speaks against them is ostracized for being angry and the attention is drawn away from their lies and toward the angry person's remarks.

I say that we have a right to be angry! I say that we should be slow to anger, but when we do get angry, we should use that anger to show the truth of the offending person's actions who brought out the anger in you in the first place. Again, I say that we should never resort to violence of any kind when we are angry! Anger and violence always lead to sin! The two should never be grouped together. But do not give up your right to get angry! Stand with me in telling the world we have a right to be angry at people who do us wrong without being ostracized for our anger!

May God bless you all this day!