How to Overcome Anger

-
We read in the Book of Psalms & Ecclesiastes,

Refrain from anger abandon wrath; 
Do not fret; it leads only to evil
[Psalms 37:8]

For anger dwells in the heart of fools
[Ecclesiastes 7:9]

How to refrain from Anger? Why does the Book of Ecclesiastes call an anger person a fool? How to overcome Anger? Let us first analyze how anger sprouts forth. The answer is simple, "Anger sprouts forth from Desire". People generally think desire means the wish to get more money, property and other riches. But we often forget a common desire people have, a desire that things should be their favor all the time. If their desire is not fulfilled they get angry.

There is no gain in having such desire because people around you cannot always fulfill your desires as they too have certain ideas, conceptions, beliefs and desire which could be different from yours. If you want them to fulfill your desires, you should be prepared to fulfill their desires, otherwise what right do you have to get your desire satisfied by them? Therefore, do not insist on getting your desires satisfied. The reason why we are keen in getting our desires fulfilled is our pride. We cannot have peace with pride in our heart. Pride is the root of all demonic traits. 

The Book of Proverbs mentions clearly what it takes to worship the Lord,

The reverent fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil; Pride and Arrogance...
[Proverbs 8:13]

With pride in us, it is impossible to please the Lord. All other demonic traits such as anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy, fraud, hypocrisy, etc., are the fruits of a pride heart. If you renounce pride, it would be easier for you to overcome anger.

How do we overcome Pride? Letter of St. James provides a solution,

"Humble yourself with an attitude of repentance and insignificance in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you"
[James 4:10]

Humility is the way to root out pride. Those who do not obey us and do not do as we wish root out our pride, while those who do as we wish, strengthen our pride. Therefore, those who do not obey us are our well-wishers. We should be thankful to them as they are helping us remove our pride. Weakening and removing pride can help in the benediction of our soul. On the other hand, those who do as we wish make us full of pride, which is the source of all demonic traits.

The Letter to Philippians sets a high standard for weakening our pride and paving a way to get closer to the Lord,

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with an attitude of humility, regard others as more important than yourself.
Do not merely look at your own personal interests, but also for the interests of the others.
[Philippians 2:3-4]

The Book of Proverbs warns us on holding to Pride,

When pride comes, then comes dishonor and shame,
but with the humble there is wisdom and soundness of mind.
[Proverbs 11:2]

Everyone who is proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting and exceedingly offensive to the Lord;
Be assured he will not go unpunished.
[Proverbs 16:5]

Now people might question that children will become rude and impertinent if they do not obey. The best way to influence children is to behave politely and they will be influenced by our good behavior and will not become impertinent. But if they still do not obey you they will suffer for their actions and their sufferings will bring them back to you.

We should perform our duties to our parents, spouse, children, and all our brothers and sisters and we should not expect them to perform their duties. Desire of expecting others to fulfill their duties towards you can initiate the cycle of pride and anger. As we start to see defects in others we forget our duties. Do not accept injustice and sin. Do your duty by advising other politely for their welfare. If they perform their duty by obeying you, it will lead them to benediction, but if they do not they will suffer. You have nothing to take from this as you have done your duty by politely advising them for their welfare, then it is up to them to make a choice. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Self-Confidence without Pride and Arrogance

-
Our beliefs must be based upon the truth that God is all powerful and ever-living and we are tiny speck of dust in the universe. This is the reality. We read the glory of God in the Book of Job, Job's reply to Bildad as follows, 7 “It is He who spreads out the north over emptiness And hangs the earth on nothing. 8 “He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once], And the cloud does not burst under them. 9 “He covers the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it. 10 “He has inscribed a circular limit (the horizon) on the face of the waters At the boundary between light and darkness. 11 “The pillars of the heavens tremble And are terrified at His rebuke. 12 “He stirred up the sea by His power, And by His understanding He smashed [proud] [c]Rahab. 13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the [swiftly] fleeing serpent. 14 “Yet these are just the fringes of His ways, The faintest wh...
Read more

Learning Self-control

-
If we are not conscious of God at all times, we may be relieved for time being from the reactions of the sinful activities, but we will again commit transgressions. It is very clear that "repetitive transgressing and atoning are nothing but waste of time". Let us take an example of an elephant which cleanses his body thoroughly in a lake or a river, as soon as he comes onto the shore he takes dust and throws it all over his body and immediately become dirty again. Similarly, if one may cleanse himself in the process of atonement, if he again commits sinful acts, what is the use of atonement? So, How can one ultimately become free from all contamination brought about by the worldly nature? If one cannot achieve liberation, what is the use of atonement? One reason why many are struck in the cycle of sin and atonement and never realize any spiritual benefits is Ignorance. In the Book of Hosea, God feels sorry for Israel and says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowl...
Read more

Humble Submission to God

-
Make no great account of who may be for you or against you, but mind and take care that God may be with you in everything you do. Have a good conscience, and God will adequately defend you. For he whom God will help, no man's malice can hurt.  Remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah, Then said Jeremiah, "O Lord, my strength and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of distress and need"... [Jeremiah 16:19a]  The psalmist sings in Psalm 16, “Keep me safe, my God, for in You I take refuge.” [Psalm 16:1] The psalmist sings in Psalm 119, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” [Psalm 119:105] Sometimes we struggle with dilemma while making tough decisions and life choices. It is always good to surrender ourselves to God and He will liberate us, since He is our only refuge at all times. It is for our good that we renounce dependence on mortal things as our refuge in times of distress. Surrender exclusively to God, our father. This excl...
Read more