Be Wary of the Dark Side of Anger

So I have not updated in almost a month, and life has been pretty crazy since then - so for those of you who care - this is what has been happening. 

About a week after my last post about my friend Keith Homstad, my grandfather passed away in Ohio.  So arrangements were made and I flew up and spent a few days there.  UNT actually started the same week so I missed my first two days of classes, so it was a little crazy getting back into the swing of things there - plus, grandma moved in so that's been a definite lifestyle change for us all.

I have been looking extensively for a job since I returned from El Paso, but to no avail on any front.  Finally this week, I landed not just one job, but two.  The main job is serving at Cheddar's on Heritage Trace off I-35 in Fort Worth, but the other job is the one in which I am most excited.  I landed a gig writing articles for Examiner.com, which basically entails me writing about the sports related activities going on at my former college, UT-Dallas (among other venues and arenas).  It's not the most prolific journalistic job in the world obviously, but it's a beginning that I am very enthused to start.

Finally, on to my main topic of discussion for this post.
 
Anger is a strange, strong, and powerful emotion.  For many folks anger dictates life decisions, pulls families apart, and consumes the mind like a cancer.  Obviously, some anger is justified as even Jesus was furious in the temple in Matthew 21.  The key is not necessarily to never be angry, but to be able to deal with your resentment in a timely and constructive way.  The focus and duration of our anger is usually out of place and too long respectively, like holding a grudge and not being able to forgive.  Forgiveness is another topic entirely, but dealing with anger in a timely manner usually involves forgiveness on some level.
 
Anger left unchecked and unbridled leads to destruction and turmoil.  I fight my temper all the time, and every day is a battle for me to keep my emotions under control.  It is a cliché statement, but true nonetheless: control your emotions, do not let your emotions control you .  As I said, unchecked emotions consume the mind and the soul – be wary of your thoughts (it is a path that leads you to the dark side… oh wait).
  
The final point is this – anger is not a sin if it is focused, under control, and dealt with in the proper amount of time.  Do not dwell on wrongs against you, forgive quickly, and move on with life – from personal experience this is the best way to stay happy, because brooding resentment and anger only destroy and tear down what was once beautiful.

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19,20.

I want to post a little more in-depth on this later, but the hours in my day are running short as of now. 




JrV