Rage Against The Machine

"...And don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil."


Ephesians 4:26-27
(New Living Translation)



I was out driving the other day when I came to a red light and had to stop. While I was waiting for the light to change, I got distracted by something on the radio and I sort of just "zoned out." During my mental wanderings the light changed, but I continued to be somewhere out in left field. The man in the car behind me began to slam on his horn. After I snapped out of it and started moving the raging driver tailgated me until the road grew into two lanes, where he sped by me and screamed at me. Because his window was shut I was unable to hear what he said. But my skills at lip reading gave me a pretty good idea. It wasn't very pretty.


I guess I have noticed a lot more lately that people seem to have a hard time dealing with their anger. Whether it is road rage, lashing out at that clerk in the checkout line, or the rising tide of domestic violence, something is making us more angry than we used to be. I think there are several reasons for this. One is our desire to have everything given to us quickly. We are used to mouse clicks that instantly serve as a gateway to information and news. We are used to instant messaging, fast food drive throughs, speedy checkouts and atomatic bank tellers. In short, we have become spoiled like small children who fall into a tantrum whenever our needs are not met fast enough. We have lost the ability to wait for anything. We used to wait for mail delivery but now we get everything by next day air. We shop online instantly and are thus impatient when we have to go to the store in person where we have to look for what we need and wait in line to go through the check out. We are in such a hurry that we speed, run red lights and yell at people because we feel that we are not getting to where we want to go fast enough. We freak out when our computer crashes because we just have to check our e-mail, facebook and twitter. Anger seems to have control over more and more people.

But how do we deal with anger in a way that is Christian? What practices can we learn that can help us control what often controls us? The first thing we need to do is stop. If we are driving and get angry, we need to pullover. If we are angry at a check out clerk we need to stop and be silent. If we are frustrated with our kids and we feel like saying something, we should stop and take a few breaths. Stopping often gives us a chance to regain control over our emotions.

The next thing we need to do is stop talking. A lot of times, we choose our words out of anger and say things that we know we don't really want to say. We need to practice the art of silence... saying nothing instead of saying something stupid. James 3:2 says, "Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way." In verse 6 of the same chapter, James the brother of Jesus goes on to say, "But a tiny spark can set a whole forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself."

Pretty strong words, but we need to get the point. Silence also means not posting, e-mailing or tweeting things we would not say if we were talking face to face with others. Our computers and smartphones are a convenient hiding place where we think we have some sort of anonimity. But the truth is once we post something it is out there. The internet is forever and there is no way we can take our words back.

The last thing we can do to control our anger is to ask God in prayer to remove it from our lives. When we see the way James talks about anger in such vivid language, he is making it clear that anger is sin. It hurts others and it certainly does not honor God. When we see it as sin it is then necessary to go to God and pray for forgiveness. This act also gives us the ability to forgive those who have made us angry.

So stop, shut up and pray. This is the best way to deal with anger. But make no mistake anger is more than words or acts. It is a condition of the heart that we must allow God to change. Be patient with yourself and others. This transformation may take time. But practicing these habits can help us. Raging against the machine will only make us more miserable. We will not solve the problem making us angry and and we may get pulled into the abyss of hate. Anger is one thing, but hate is a much deeper and darker place.

So be aware of your anger and take steps to deal with it. Life will seem much more pleasant when you do.