If someone asks you why you get angry, what would you say? In the past, if asked, I would often say I get angry when people don’t understand me or listen to me. Or maybe in the times I’ve argued, simply put, when I feel disrespected. None of these instances has anything to do with God. As a Christian, I should be angrier that people are lost and do not see the majesty and greatness of the God that we should all be serving. My anger should be directed toward the fact that people are dying and perishing every day due to the pure evil in the world. I should be angry that I’m not doing everything that I can to see God be glorified through my life and in the lives of others. The things that anger God about this world should be the things that anger me, but sadly, I do not always see and feel as God does.
The problem with being angry is not the fact that we get angry, but what we are irate about. Why do we get angered so quickly by such small matters? When we really identify what we are angry over, we usually find that we get angry over what we consider wrongs done to us. We seldom find ourselves angry about wrongs done to other people or the God that we serve. Anger, just like any emotion, can be just and right when used in the proper context. Scripture states, “be angry but sin not” (Eph 4:26). This is not to say there’s never an instance where we should not be upset for the wrongs done to us. However, if the wrongs done to us are the only thing that triggers a reaction out of us, we should really examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5).
“Truth is, if we press in behind the normal instances of our anger, its ugly. If we find ourselves unusually perturbed about getting snubbed in social media, or being cut off in traffic, or feeling under appreciated by our spouse, it is likely because we love ourselves too much. Sinful anger is the result of our disordered loves often shameless self-love,” (Kill Joys: 7 Deadly Sins). If we get angry with only the things concerning our well-being, it just further shows that our love is not directed towards God but towards ourselves. We should be more enraged that the glory of God is not being exemplified in the world, including in our lives and hearts.
The fact that we get angry often for only what affects us shows that we trust in our own judgment more than we trust in God’s. Scripture frequently warns us not to put our confidence in man, and that includes ourselves. After all, the Bible concludes that our hearts are desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). So, more than likely, when we trust in our own judgment before we acknowledge God, it’s going to lead us to say or do things we will often regret. The Bible says, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:19-20).
True love for God will cause us to keep our peace, whether our egos are bruised or whether our points are proved or not. True Love for God and others allows us to have compassion where there usually is impatience or distrust. Just like Scripture explains, true love is “patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
So, the next time we get angry, we should use it as a litmus test to see what’s really moving us, a love for self or for God and others?