Daily Devotional for January 26, 2020
Good Anger?
“Are you kidding me?” Tyler kicked a toy angrily. “I was excited about snow days at first, but this is the third day in a row! I’ve already missed my robotics meeting and my dodgeball class, and now our big basketball game has been canceled!”
Mom leaned against Tyler’s doorway. “I know you’re disappointed, Ty. That’s understandable.”
“I just wish this snow would go away!” Tyler moaned. “Nothing is good about this week at all!”
“How about those brownies we made yesterday? Or all the games we got to play?” Mom reminded him.
Tyler flopped down on his bed. “I’m so angry, I just want to be left alone!”
“Okay, but before I go, I want you to think about telling Jesus how you feel.”
“Why? That won’t change anything. I’ll still be stuck inside all day!” Tyler said, gritting his teeth.
“It won’t change your situation, but it may change how you think about it.”
“God doesn’t want to hear about all my anger, Mom,” Tyler said.
“Ty, if you read the Psalms, there are many examples of people pouring out their hearts to God, both in sorrow and in anger. After they bring Him their concerns and feelings, they often come back to remembering His unfailing love and what He’s done for them in the past. God wants us to come to Him and be honest. He gave us anger as one of our emotions. It’s how we choose to respond when we get angry that matters.”
“Is that what that verse from Ephesians means when it says, ‘In your anger do not sin’?” Tyler asked.
“Right!” Mom smiled. “We all get angry, and we shouldn’t ignore that feeling. But instead of trying to use our anger to hurt others, we need to bring it before God so he can help us deal with it in healthy ways.”
“Mom? I’m sorry for kicking my stuff and yelling. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“I forgive you, Ty. Just like you forgave me last week when I yelled at you.”
“Oh yeah!” Ty grinned. “You did kind of look like the Hulk.”
“Oh, I did, huh?” Mom jumped on Tyler’s bed and grabbed a pillow. “Just wait until you see how awesome the Hulk is at pillow fights!” -Savannah Coleman
How about you?
Is anger an emotion you ignore or shut down? Or do you spew anger like an out-of-control volcano? Neither of these approaches is healthy. God gave us all our emotions for a reason. When we bring our feelings and cares to Jesus, not only will He listen, He’ll comfort us and help us deal with our emotions in healthy ways. When you feel angry, bring your anger to Him.
Today's Verse
“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (NIV) Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV
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