Yesterday I was sketching out the brochure for adult faith formation opportunities at St. Paul's during Fall/Winter 2010/11. We will be offering a two-part discussion on Women and Anger before worship on a couple of Sundays. My wife Ruth, a trained pastoral counsellor and mediator, will be the leader. She already offers programs on anger issues with clients at Bethesda House, the shelter for women and children in Bowmanville, but she can't bring Christian sensibilities into the discussion. It might be simplistic to say that in our culture men often express anger inappropriately and women often suppress anger, but there is some truth in this assertion.
As coincidence/providence would have it, I received this Sound Bites thought for the day:
Unrecognized anger is an enemy to our spiritual sensitivity and to our ethical commitments. It can be a stumbling block to the redemptive process and sabotage the abundant life. This anger can be called demonic because it gives birth to hate instead of to nurturing love. It forsakes grace and pushes for punishment. Instead of working toward reconciliation, it breeds alienation. It short-circuits the gift of forgiveness and promotes vengeance.
-- Andrew D. Lester in Coping With Your Anger
-- Andrew D. Lester in Coping With Your Anger
Anger as an emotion isn't wrong, but it can be destructive. Do you deal with anger in a healthy way? Do you feel guilty about your anger? Does a discussion on anger intrigue you?
3 comments:
This blog really got under my skin. I mean, really!!
Seriously, most times I am able to control my anger, however once in a while I allow my buttons to get pushed. I make a conscious effort daily to remember that nobody or nothing can make me angry unless I'm a willing participant. I try to realize that if I can control the way I think about things, I can control destructive and unhealthy emotions tied to them.
If it comes right down to it, I'll use that energy to go a few rounds on the heavy bag!
I've learned that you simply can't make good decisions when you're angry - brain theory, and all of that.
The old adage about counting to ten, or even the 24-hour rule make sense to me!
I realize my life to be pretty darn good because the stuff that makes me feel angry occasionally is pretty trivial stuff. Like Johnny said, fairly easy to take a different perspective on it, and be over it.
The not so close to my home stuff, world issues, social problems etc, I am more likely to feel guilty about my lack of productive anger, mostly because I feel helpless to the issue.
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