Anger at the Movies
Recently I was in a movie theatre. Behind me this guy kept crinkling his candy wrapper. He crinkled throughout the entire movie! Dramatic moment in the movie…complete silence…crinkle crinkle crinkle. Suspenseful moment…crinkle crinkle crinkle…through the whole thing.
I was getting angrier and angrier.
Have you ever tried to enjoy a movie while you were angry? It doesn’t work too well.
I wish I could say it was my great godliness that prevented me from saying something. Rather I was too afraid to turn around and say something after the recent national headlines about a movie theatre altercation and shooting.
It is hard not to get angry. In a movie theatre…with your spouse…with friends…with children…parents…everyone.
Here is the thing about anger: If we get angry and don’t handle our anger properly, our spiritual growth suffers significantly.
Ephesians 4:26-27 says, “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.”
There are three huge principles here which are very helpful to managing your anger for the benefit of your spiritual growth:
- Be angry but don’t sin
- Don’t go to bed angry
- Don’t give the devil a foothold
Be angry but don’t sin: When the other driver cuts you off and almost runs you into a ditch, you get angry. Of course you do. You should be angry. Your anger becomes sinful with the hand gesture…the words screamed into the windshield…banging on the steering wheel…etc. But it’s hard to get angry and not sin. So Paul gives us a great spiritual principle.
Don’t go to bed angry: Cathy and I have been married for a while. We have learned if we go to bed angry at each other…we wake up a little further apart emotionally than when we went to bed. The same principle applies to your relationship with God. As a follower of Jesus when you go to bed angry you wake up further away from God than when you went to bed. One day is no big deal, but go to bed angry every night and your spiritual growth will suffer significantly. Ultimately Ephesians 4:27 explains what happens.
Don’t give the devil a foothold: When our anger turns sinful, when we go to bed angry, in the end we give the devil a foothold. The devil wants a foothold in your life. The devil will use a foothold in your life to hurt your relationship with God.
But how can you get angry and not sin?
I have found picturing Jesus on the cross when I am getting angry helps.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
This is amazing! How could Jesus pray for the forgiveness of those who were crucifying him?
Regardless of how we answer that question, the words of Jesus help us in our anger. If Jesus prayed for their forgiveness it is hard to justify sinning when we are angry.
So next time you become angry, try this: Picture Jesus in your mind hanging on the cross and asking God the Father to forgive his crucifiers. See him…picture him…hear him.
I find it is impossible for me to hold anger in my heart and the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross in my mind at the same time. For a few moments my anger and the picture of Jesus fight for control, but the picture of Jesus always wins.
Then when I find myself getting angry again I go back to the picture of Jesus in my mind.
So the next time you are getting angry try picturing Jesus in your mind.
Send me an email and let me know how picturing Jesus helped you with your anger (jamie@jamieswalm.com). I’d love to hear from you!
