Anger is a deadly toxin. Physicians claim the same on a medical level. Psychologists deal with it on a social level. The Bible makes its own contribution. Anger is every bit contagious as it is toxic. Don’t join the epidemic.
The topic of anger is double-edged: whether to deal with anger in oneself or to deal with anger from others. Either way, know that anger is self-destructive; don’t self-destruct and don’t fret about people who do.
Anger is not about forgiveness; the two are unrelated. “Forgiveness” is actually a choice to not seek repayment on a debt, whether through money, sweat, or blood. Anger, however, is about the choice of where to focus one’s thought life.
Things happen in life that are bound to make us angry. For whatever reason, we let these things surprise us. We get indignant and act surprised as if whatever happened to us makes us the only thirsty starfish in the ocean.
Never forget that the next hitch in your plans has already been prepared. When the time is right, you’ll be provoked to anger. Be ready and know what you will do before that time comes. Don’t let anger catch you off guard.
We can limp through life for years, clinging to whatever thing happened to us so long ago; many people make it decades, half a century or even more. That anger infects the mind, promoting the lie that carrying the past will make your journey better in some way. We don’t need to bring our past with us in order to learn from it. Take your lesson in a doggy bag and get out of town, leave anger behind and make tracks as fast as you can.
What happened once might never happen the same way again. Chewing on what happened in the past—mulling over it—replaying it again and again—arguing with people in your mind—that only makes things worse, solving nothing.
We don’t know every reason why things happened they did. When we make ourselves the “firemen” to save ourselves from a house fire, we climb the firetruck ladder right back into the flames. Just save yourself and get out of the house.