Angry—at Me

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.

PSALM 37:8

WE RECENTLY TALKED about having a bad temper and spewing our anger at others. But let’s spend some time thinking about why we get angry. There may be obvious reasons that happen in a heated moment, such as an argument with someone. And there may be other reasons that are quieter, like not being able to master a math concept after a week of trying. We get mad at others, yes—but we also get mad at ourselves.

Sometimes when frustration hits a peak, the anger inside spills out. When that happens, we may treat others in ways that don’t really match how we feel about them. We’re not really mad at the teacher or the coach or our friends—we’re mad at ourselves. So how can we stop those mean thoughts and feel better inside? Ask God for help. He has ideas.

In Ephesians 4:31, God’s Word tells us to “get rid of all bitterness.” One way to do that is to learn to spot when those mean thoughts begin to take hold in our minds. We can change mean thoughts into good thoughts. One really great way to do that is to tack on the word “yet” to negative thoughts. So, I can’t figure out that math problem becomes I can’t figure out that math problem yet. This works because the things you struggle with now will be the things about which you can soon say, “Oh, yeah, I can do that.”

When your anger comes from within and is directed at yourself, focus on talking to yourself the way God would. He’d be patient, kind, forgiving, and encouraging. And you can do that right now.

DO

What’s one thing you struggle with that can make you angry at times? Talk to an adult about it, then make a three-step plan together that will help you learn to do the activity or that will help you stop having mean thoughts about it.

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for always being kind, loving, forgiving, and encouraging. Please help me when I face a task that’s frustrating. Remind me to talk to myself the way you would, not using mean thoughts. Amen.

READ

Ephesians 4:31; James 1:20