Is Getting Angry a Sin? Part 2

Worth Getting Angry About?

Much of what gets us worked up could be classified as irritants, those time-wasting, ego-bruising nuisances that threaten to make us lose control. But stress is cumulative. Pile up enough of those insults, and we're ready to explode. If we're not careful, we can say or do something we'll be sorry for later.

God counsels patience toward these aggravations. They will never stop, so we need to learn how to handle them:

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7)

Echoing this Psalm is a Proverb:

Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you. (Proverbs 20:22)

There is a hint that something bigger is going on. These annoyances are frustrating, yes, but God is in control. If we truly believe that, we can wait for him to work. We don't need to jump in, thinking God's off napping somewhere.

Distinguishing between petty trifles and serious injustice can be difficult, especially when we're biased because we are the victim. We can blow things out of proportion.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.(Romans 12:12)

Patience is not our natural reaction, though. How about revenge? Or holding a grudge? Or shock when God doesn't immediately zap the other person with a lightning bolt?

Growing a thicker skin so these insults bounce off is not easy. We hear so much today about our "rights" that we see every slight, intended or not, as a personal attack against us. Much of what gets us angry is just thoughtlessness. People are rushed, self-centered, worried about their own little world.

Even when someone is deliberately rude, we need to resist the urge to lash out in kind. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers to abandon that "eye for an eye" attitude. If we want nastiness to stop, we need to set the example.