By Mike Bain
Why are people so angry today?
Every time you turn the radio and television news on today, some one or some group is angry.
Over the past decade, we have had groups who were exercising justifiable anger, for example, when women joined together under the #meToo movement to protest the actions of movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
Following hot on the heels of #MeToo was Black Lives Matter, and since then, we have seen protests about governmental mismanagement and control around the world, and here in good ole New Zealand, our government hasn’t been immune either.
And let’s not dismiss the levels of anger shown towards women who want sanity in women’s spaces.
There are four types of anger, but today, I want to concentrate on just two types. For example, I mentioned that some of the groups I said may have been justifiably angry when they passively protested, bringing the issue to the fore.
But in all those events, we have seen passiveness escalate very quickly to become aggressive, and I’m sad to say we are hearing about that type of anger often.
Being realistic, there are groups of opportunists who seize what is a passive situation and escalate it into aggression.
How protest can be justified when it leads to riots, property destruction, looting, and sometimes death, like we see in the United States, is beyond me.We are all guilty of feeling anger. It’s a part of our DNA.
Even Jesus got angry; just check out how he overturned the tables of sellers in the Temple.
Look at how God lost it with places like Sodom and Gomorrah, then there was the situation in Ninevah, and oh, let’s not forget his anger at the nation of Israel.
You see, some would say he just “lost it,” and they may be correct, but his anger was justified, just the same as you may be when some idiot cuts you off when you are in the car. But does your anger escalate when you are at the lights and get out of the car? You and I both know where it will end. There ARE NO friends at the traffic lights.
During the Covid period, we heard news reports of Countdown supermarket staff being manhandled, spat at, and abused. Today, we are hearing about politicians being slapped and threatened, but wait, there’s more: staff at polling booths are also under attack.
Come on, what’s happening to this country?
People are not happy with how this country is heading. I get it, but honestly, venting it out on innocent people just doing their job is too far.
Where is all this anger coming from?
Here in New Zealand, it’s coming from many places, and while it’s okay to get angry about something, it’s okay to feel peed off, but to raise your hands and lose your self-control and strike another person is abominable. It’s no different when we comparably use our tongues, but self-control is a virtue.
Next time you are faced with a situation where the tiger in you wants to unleash, stop, take a deep breath, and let common sense take over.
Yes, they are wrong, bashing them or even lashing them with your tongue. Well, it might make you feel better, but does it make you a better person?
Okay, I get it. Everybody can have anger issues, but here are just three suggestions from the scriptures on how God wants us to deal with it:
- Try to restrain your anger.
Proverbs 29:11 tells us that.” Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.”
This scripture doesn’t mean that the wise bury their anger or do not deal with it, but it means that they control their anger and how they express it. When you restrain your anger, you keep it within limits. - Try to reevaluate your anger.
James 1:19-20 says, “19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
God’s way of dealing with anger is to be slow to anger. There are some things that you need to let roll off your shoulders and not internalize or act on. When you re-evaluate a person’s words or actions, you often find that there’s no need to get angry as that person did not intend to hurt you or was merely acting out of their own biases, which is not a reflection of you. - Release your anger.
Colossians 3:8 says, “But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” When you deal with anger in God’s way, you feel it, vent it safely (possibly complaining to an innocent third party) where no one is harmed, and then release it.
Get rid of it from your body, heart, and mind.
I hope this helps. Remember, Jesus said it will be the meek who inherit the earth, but let me tell you, being angry is not healthy, and who knows where it will lead you.
Your daily goal is to cause no harm to others, be friendly to checkout operators,’ electoral workers and other drivers and come home to your family.
Mike Bain is the founder of Christian Voice New Zealand, an online Christian ministry which comments on today’s news which affects our daily lives and culture by viewing it through the lens of the Bible.
