“Quick Burn”

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

I have a question.  Whenever petty, stupid things go wrong in my life, I get angry at God.  Why?  I don't know.  They are terrible reasons to be angry.  But it seems like I can't control myself.  I also take the Lord's name in vain (or I think the Lord's name in vain, rather).  I calm down quickly afterwards and beg for God's forgiveness.  I have gotten better at controlling myself, but better isn't good enough.  Please help?

Sincerely,
Short Fuse

Dear Short Fuse,

It isn’t abnormal for people to unleash their frustration on loved ones or God when life doesn’t turn out the way they expect.  Of course, that doesn’t make it right.  We appreciate your honesty and your desire to change.  Here are some verses to consider in regard to anger issues:

1. God warned Cain about his anger and told him that “sin is at the door and its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen 4:7).  You correctly recognize that you lose your temper when things go wrong in your life – those moments are your pressure point.  Since you know that sin tries to creep in at those times, make an extra preparation to rule over sin in those moments.  Tell yourself as you start to see anger building, “I will not let sin win.”  It will help.
2. Eph 4:26 says, “Be angry, and sin not.”  There isn’t anything wrong with getting frustrated… as long as you don’t let that frustration out in inappropriate ways.  Go for a run, step away from the situation for a moment, or count to ten.  You said that you calm down quickly afterwards… so even a brief pause may be enough to avoid sin.
3. The more we talk, the more likely we are to say something we will regret – this is especially true in times of high emotion.  If in doubt, close your mouth (Pr 10:19).  Sometimes, all we need to do to avoid sin is just zip our lips.

Remember that growth is a process.  Change takes time.  Continue to work on changing your habits, and you will slowly but surely continue to see progress.

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