Anger: Is it Controlling Us or Are We Managing Control Over it?

By Bob Myers, MFT, Leader of Anger Management 

Genesis teaches that human beings were created by God “in His own image, according to His own likeness.” In creating us according to His likeness, we feel emotions – anger being one of many. Yet another way that we as humans share in God’s likeness is that He has given us personal power to make choices. Unfortunately, we tend to believe that we have power over everything we face in life and over everyone in our life. But life soon teaches us that this is not what our personal power is about.

The longer we live, the more we tend to realize how powerless we really are over life events, and eventually we recognize our need for a “higher power” and a Savior – Jesus Christ. But even with Christ, some life events can still cause us to feel powerless and/or confused. The personal power that God has given us is the power to make choices – choices over 1) what we believe and our thoughts, 2) our emotions and attitudes, 3) our actions and behaviors, 4) our likes and dislikes, and 5) how we are going to let negative life experiences affect us.

When we choose to take out our anger on others, we cripple ourselves, destroy relationships, and make our situation worse, which increases our emotional pain. It’s like pouring gasoline onto a raging fire! While we may momentarily feel empowered by our acting out anger, the collateral damage is significant and destructive.

An alternative to acting out anger is to learn how to manage the anger we feel. Ephesians 4:26 teaches, “Be angry, and yet do not sin.” It is normal to feel angry, but when we choose to act out in our anger, we sin because we fail the great commandment of Jesus: “Love your enemies” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 5:44 & 22:39). As we learn how to respond to things that anger us without reacting to it, we begin to feel a new sense of selfempowerment.

I have had the privilege of witnessing lives transformed as individuals experience their new freedom from the control of anger over their lives. You can too! Anger Management begins again on Monday, September 9, and meets from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Care & Counseling Office. Our textbook is Anger Management Sourcebook by Glenn Schiraldi & Melissa Kerr. Contact Bob Myers for more information at 982-9275 or myersbe@aol.com.