Unrighteous Anger

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming. Proverbs 27:4

Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared. - Proverbs 22:14

We’ve all seen it - the politician or soccer fan or family member who is enraged. They do a lot of damage. They burn down self-esteem and relationships and organizations, leaving behind varying degrees of open wounds and trauma. Sometimes we can feel like this anger is justified to ‘fix’ things or people, but rarely does it help.

Then there is the subtle anger that comes out in the form of sarcasm, criticism, and contempt. This kind of anger also does damage, often not seen at first but mounting up over time to be ‘overwhelming’ as Proverbs 27 says. Sometimes we think of this kind of anger as justified to ‘help people do better’, but again, rarely does it help anyone.

And then there is anger turned inward, often coming in the form of self-hatred, self-loathing and even depression. Sometimes we tell ourselves this anger is justified because it motivates us in life, but in the end it’s fruit is bitter.

We’ll look at righteous anger tomorrow, but for today we are stuck here - looking at unrighteous anger. Where has it left its mark on your life? What justifications have you used to give yourself permission to fall into it? And what is the best way out of it’s cycle?