Posted on 12/26/2008 10:52:30 PM PST by WhatNot
Proverbs 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
The marketplace can be a pressure-packed world. The demands that are often put on us can bring out things that we never knew were there. Sometimes we begin to think that the source of that pressure is to blame for our response to the pressure. It could be an event, a spouse, a boss, a client, a child, or even a driver who cuts us off in traffic.
I recall responding to a close friend one time, "If you had not done that, I would never have responded that way." Later I learned that this response had little truth to it. We all choose to get angry. No one else is to blame for our anger.
"The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am" [Dr. Sam Peeples].
This simple quote has had a profound impact on how I view my anger now. Anger only reveals what is inside of me. I can't blame anyone but me for my response to a situation. I have learned that anger is only the symptom of something else that is going on inside of me. This quote now resides on my refrigerator door as a daily reminder of the truth about my response to life's situations.
It has been said that anger is like the warning panel on the dash of your car. It is the light that tells us something is going on under the hood and we need to find out what is the source of the problem. I discovered that the source of anger is often unmet expectations or personal rights. We believe we are entitled to a particular outcome to a situation. When this doesn't happen, it triggers something in us. At the core of this is fear, often a fear of failure or rejection, fear of what others think, fear of the unknown.
If you struggle with anger, ask God to reveal the source of that anger. Ask Him to heal you of any fears that may be the root of your anger. Ask God to help you take responsibility for your response to difficult situations.
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.
They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.
They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war.
He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.
The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door.
A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.
He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.
He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package.
"I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."
The father opened the package.
It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man..
He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting.
The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.
He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.
"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle.
Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son
before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later.
There was to be a great auction of his paintings.
Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an
opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son.
The auctioneer pounded his gavel "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son.
Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted,
"We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting.
Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"
Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting.
We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room.
It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son "I'll give $10 for the painting.
"Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
"We have $10, who will bid $20? "Give it to him for $10,
let's see the masters." The crowd was becoming angry.
They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted,
"Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel.
"I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction,
I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.
I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.
Only the painting of the son would be auctioned.
Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!"
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross Much like the auctioneer, His message today is:
"The son, the son, who'll take the son?"
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE
Threads like this really piss me off.
YEAH!! ME TOO!!
> We all choose to get angry. No one else is to blame for our anger.
Anger is an extremely valuable and important emotion. It can be a very creative force for good. Suppressing it can cause Depression and other serious mental disorders.
Suppressed or internalized (”controlled”) anger can put you in hospital. It can even kill you.
It’s more what we choose to be angry about, Jesus got angry when He went to the temple and saw them making merchandise, He made a scourge, a whip and drove out the money changers and those who were selling doves. He said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves” Righteous Anger, is a proper thing to have, but most tend to get angry over unrighteous things. I think turning that kind of anger over to God, is the best way to handle it.
> Righteous Anger, is a proper thing to have, but most tend to get angry over unrighteous things. I think turning that kind of anger over to God, is the best way to handle it.
I try not to assign value judgments to Anger: it is what it is. Same as sorrow, same as joy. If I can I try to acknowledge it, understand from whence it came, and I try to give it some outlet — those three things are really important to do.
Anger is an emotion that we evolved in order to help our species survive. As such it brings an immense amount of power with it: this must be channeled or dissipated because it cannot be successfully contained long-term. That is the sort of thing heart-attacks are made of.
In fact the best way to live in that world view is, hey if you get angry with someone, you might as well go kill the person your angry with, that would be the best outlet. Nature isn't going to judge you for it.
Unfortunately, for you, you live in a society that does make value judgements, and I don't know if you can convince them, that they shouldn't judge you. But good luck with that!
4 later
I noticed I get angry every time I see an Obama bumper sticker, sometimes I vent a little to myself about it.
Even God has his anger moments. Now hate... the source of hate is the Devil.
> I suppose that if you believe we evolved from lower lifeforms, (from nature),
What I believe isn’t overly relevant; but for the record I believe God created Man using Monkeys as a prototype.
> than ok, I see your point, nature doesn’t hold any value judgements.
That may be true, but that’s not really the point I’m making. There is no such thing as “good” anger or “bad” anger. There is only Anger. You can load it with value judgments if you like, but it’s not overly helpful to do so.
> In fact the best way to live in that world view is, hey if you get angry with someone, you might as well go kill the person your angry with, that would be the best outlet. Nature isn’t going to judge you for it.
I don’t see how that necessarily follows. People are only one of many things that you can be angry with, and killing them is only one of many valid responses.
What if you are angry at the weather? Or what if you are angry at the big fish that just got away? Or what if you’re angry wit your wife because she won’t mate with you?
The world view you’ve proposed is far too simplistic.
> Unfortunately, for you, you live in a society that does make value judgements, and I don’t know if you can convince them, that they shouldn’t judge you. But good luck with that!
No, fortunately for me I have, after many long years and much painful experience, learned all about Anger and the truly nasty things it can do to people if they do not acknowledge it and channel it in productive directions.
If you internalize it, it can kill you. If you place value judgments on it, you can decide that Anger is “bad” and you will therefore internalize it. Or you can decide it is “good” and be a menace to yourself and others. If you direct it into productive channels it can be a wonderfully creative, potent force.
But anyone who believes that, as humans, we should never be angry quite simply has no clue. We cannot help it: we evolved that way.
I agree.
If what you beleive isn’t overly relevant, then why should anybody, take anything you say into consideration? What would be the point! It isn’t relevant to anything.
Actually, that's blasphemy.
Proverbs 6
16 These six things does the LORD hate: yes, seven are an abomination to him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brothers.
Seven examples of about 40-or-so things that God hates.
> If what you beleive isn’t overly relevant, then why should anybody, take anything you say into consideration?
That’s easy: my beliefs have no bearing on that which is fact — and neither do yours or anybody else’s. Fact is fact irrespective of who believes it.
Yup, that’s why He poured out all His wrath, on His Son Jesus, so that all He has for you now, is love. Unfailing love! If you don’t accept His love gift, one day He will pour out His anger on you, but not because He hates you, but because you refused to receive it.
Speak for yourself!
> This is not necessarily true. There are drugs that can be administered through the air that can induce mood swings, depression, anxiety, and anger.
And, indeed, there are drugs that can suppress them. I’m on two of them at the moment: one to suppress mood swings (Lithium) and another to suppress Depression (Venlafaxine). Both of these come in pill form, but I can’t see any reason why they couldn’t be administered thru the air.
> Apparently people can be made to do things they ordinarily would not do.
They sure can — particularly under hypnosis. Been there and done that: and it was a riot!
> This guy is apparently so clueless at the above comment.
I put it down to well-meaning ignorance. He’s trying to make a Spiritual point using pseudo-science. It doesn’t work because the science is bad. And so it comes across as ignorant and trite — which it is.
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