Page 13 - June 2015 Catalyst

angry at the world, ready to attack on even slight provocation. Their perpetual fury pushes others away and leads to frequent disputes. They tend to see the worst in ev- erything and everyone. And they attempt to protect themselves from hurt by making anger their default mode of operation.
The Releaser... Instead of taking on the role of exploder, victim, manipulator, or rager when crisis strikes, I recommend another style: Release. Releasers make anger their ally. Theirapproachis“feelit“then“useit,” then “let it go.” They don’t try to hide their anger or unleash it on innocent bystanders. They embrace their outrage and recognize it as a signal to adopt a strategy for positive action.
For people of faith, relinquishing anger means trust God to take care of the situation. Jesus said, “Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to Him and day and night though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will see that they get justice, and quickly? (Luke 18:7-8).
Cover Up Fear... One of the most common reasons we get angry is to mask another deeply felt emotion. FEAR. When you get laid off from a job or a significant other walks out of your life, the words that come out may be angry----“He (she) has no right to do this to me!”----but
the core feeling probably are closer to terror. You’re unconsciously thinking...”What am I going to live on? How am I even going to make it?”
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
The next time you find that life has slammed you to the turf and you respond by ranting or raging, remember: Release is much more like- ly to produce a helpful and workable outcome. Trust God to help focus you to let go of your furious feelings. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
“You won’t regret it!”
June 2015
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