Anger and the Truth
 

Anger and the Truth

Psalm 25:5 “Guide me in your truth.”

“For years I believed that if I loved unselfishly I would never get angry,” explained my depressed friend. “So I consistently refused to be mad. Of course, I was angry when I was treated poorly, but I called it by another name and pushed it down.” In her book, Codependent No More, Melody Beattie lists several myths about the confusing emotion called anger: Good, nice people don’t feel angry.
Anger is a waste of time and energy. If we feel angry at someone, it means we don’t love that person any more.”
My friend believed these lies. Repressed anger contributed to her depression. Admitting her anger set in motion the possibility for inner healing. “If the anger exists, why is it there?” she asked. That caused her to seek the truth about the injustices she had experienced and subsequently denied.
When she realized that acknowledging the wrongs committed against her was acceptable to God, she saw a light at the end of her long dark tunnel.
Are you hiding anger under a mask of determined service or obsessive work habits? Is it worth the anxiety and depression to keep up the facade? If not, start by admitting the truth of your anger. God will help you in finding the truth.

Lord, this is a scary process. Please guide me.

Joan C. Webb