Angry much?

… That’s OK… but where is it leading us? Apathy, violence, lethargy, cruelty… or just plain unkindness towards others. Where does being angry really get us anyway? It’s one of those emotions that can help us to tap into our passions and do great things, or (and the same is true for many emotions) cause us to lash out and do, well,… not so great things, possibly things that will get us in trouble. Though they both sound exciting, there are ways to embrace the fruitful side of anger. The side that will help us to do great things first. Read on for just a few ways we can use the “monster” of anger to our advantage:

1. Child-likeness: Have you ever seen a child get angry. Sure, all the time. They get frustrated for many reasons. And what does a child do when he/she is frustrated? Yep, that’s right they show it! Through tantrums, through crying, screaming, throwing themselves around … just about anything that will get their parents attention. Luckily we have a Parent that cares about us in heaven that we can go to as well. Sometimes it just helps to yell out: “I’m frustrated and I don’t know what to do!….Help!”
2. Wisdom: Of course, this goes without saying. And true wisdom comes from above. Wisdom can see the end result of a situation where searing anger cannot. Anger can only see about three feet ahead, if that. If we can think about the end result, or better yet we can wait for it, this invites wisdom in our corner. We may even get a friend named knowledge out of it. Thank ‘anger’ for revealing to us that we need to look for wisdom a little further down the road, it is down the road.
3. Moderation: Anger is a close relative to gluttony. Don’t feed it, it won’t be a monster. It will instead be a lean, mean, fighting machine (in the best way!). It will aid us in reaching our end goal. Anger, in moderation, helps to motivate us toward change. So the next time we feel like blowing a gasket. We can… just a little at a time.
4. Difference: Be different. It’s different to “behave.” It’s not normal to give up something now to get something better later. “Delayed gratification” is not natural. Be unusual by walking the straight and narrow. Are we angry because we are resisting? Well if we are, we can keep in mind that resisting what is right to do is a natural tendency. Thankfully, we can also lean on the truth that if we want to be real rebels, we can do what is unnatural too….by ‘doing the right thing.’
5. Fail: Now this is the easy part. Simply lay down and give up the fight, so that Someone much bigger can fight for us. Ok, truthfully, it’s easier said than done. But anger is indeed a great indicator that we are about to put our dukes up, and it can be just the signal we need.

What has anger revealed to you? Comment below…don’t forget to share, you may know someone who needs this!