I wrote a book called Love Slows Down that talks about how all anger is rooted in fear. Typically, anger comes from feeling a threat in certainly one of three areas:
1. Security (physical, emotional, financial)
2. Connection (feeling loved, valued, and esteemed by others)
3. Empowerment (the power to make decisions)
Whenever you’re feeling anger, you’ll be able to be pretty confident that it’s because you’re feeling a threat to certainly one of those three areas. The excellent news is that anger isn’t a sin – it’s just an indication. It only turns right into a sin in the event you reply to it within the fallacious way by lashing out in your words or actions. Anger is sort of a dashboard light, indicating that there’s something you could look into under the hood. When you’re feeling indignant about something happening around you, it’s at all times due to something happening inside you. When you’re feeling anger rising up, it’s an indication that you could address something happening inside you. In a weird way, anger and frustration will be gifts that help us see areas of our lives that should be given to God.
The emotion of anger is usually closely related to feelings about politics because often our political views are related to our fears about security, connection, and empowerment. And anger tends to create more anger. Oftentimes, we reply to other peoples’ anger with our own anger. But, as James says, “…human anger doesn’t produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:20) When you’re feeling yourself getting indignant at someone for what they imagine or express online (or in person), take a moment to step back and calm down. Be slow to talk. Repeat the prayer of Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”
See in the event you can work out what fear the person is trying to specific. See in the event you can find a typical reference to that person and their fear. Ask God to enable you along with your own fears. Then, ask God to point out you the way you’ll be able to love that person right in the midst of their fear. They may not respond well because they’re indignant. But just knowing that an indignant person is a fearful person may help us have patience with them (and ourselves) as we navigate conversations and relationships.
May we be those that “let your light shine before others, that they may even see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16) by being instruments of peace this election season.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Thomas Barwick
He speaks at churches, conferences, and company events across the country and is the creator of seven books, including Vision Map (Moody Press), Connecting the Dots, and Keep It Light. (Salem/Regnery) He and his wife Emily and daughter Elise live in Texas.
Find out more at: http://joelmalm.com
