June 14

”Be angry and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Anger has been a challenging emotion to learn to handle appropriately. It has not been an easy task to accept anger as a welcome feeling. Yet I am learning that when something pushes against my values or beliefs, or threatens me or those close to me, then my anger can indeed be the right sentiment for the situation. However, feeling angry and acting out of or in anger is something else entirely. Letting anger cloud my actions is not a healthy choice. In those moments I act to hurt others, intentionally or not. Rather, I need to recognize my anger as a warning of a threat, but then step back and allow myself the time to process what is going on, calmly assess the situation and then decide how best to act. The Serenity Prayer is something that often helps me with this part. The simple task of determining what parts of the moment are within my control, and which are not, is usually enough to help calm the surge of anger. Reactions in the heat of the moment almost always make a situation worse, rather than better. In trying to give myself that pause, even for a few seconds, when my temper flares can go a long way to finding a peaceful resolution instead of adding fuel to fire.

Affirmation In my emotional maturity, recognizing feelings as a signal that something important is happening is an awareness that I do not have to simple react, but can reflect and then act.