Cross Rhythms website editor Heather Bellamy is a regular contributor for the local Sentinel newspaper's weekly faith column, Yours Faithfully. Each week a different leader from the local faith communities write the column. Check out what Heather has been saying to the fine people of North Staffordshire.

At one time or another all of us will have experienced anger. It might be to differing levels and there may have been varying consequences, but one thing is for sure, we all will have experienced anger at some point.

Anger is a response in us towards a person or circumstance and it is usually linked with injustice and abuse, whether real or perceived.

I have experienced a lot of anger in my life, both within myself towards others and also from others towards me. In my anger I have said a lot of rash, hurtful and exaggerated words. I've slammed doors and I've thrown things. What have you done?

I've experienced being shouted at, being abused verbally, being threatened and seeing the eyes of another person change with anger towards me.

Expressed anger without self control, love, patience, gentleness and peace damages ourselves and others. What takes a moment to express can take years to heal.

A wise man once said that the 'power of life and death' was on the tongue! Haven't you found that to be true? Are there words that still go around in your head that hurt you, even though they were spoken days, months or even years ago? Haven't you been encouraged and strengthened...given hope through other words spoken? Words from others can shape how we see and feel about ourselves. The old saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me' just isn't true.

Anger can destroy you, the person it's aimed at, families and communities. The most dangerous thing about anger is that it can become a habit beyond our own control, leading to worse and worse expressions.

Take in these statistics: In a recent survey of head teachers, 27% of secondary heads reported they'd had experience of a pupil carrying a bladed weapon in the last year; Race hate crime soared 29% last year, in 67% of religious cases the victims were Muslim; this year, 750,000 children are likely to face violence before they even walk out of their front door.

In the Bible there are a lot of wise sayings that can actually help us, for instance, 'in your anger do not sin'. Sin is simply missing the mark of Jesus. Who was Jesus? He was someone who had full self control, patience, gentleness, love and peace...nothing ever took that from Him. He inspired men like Ghandi and Martin Luther King; true heroes who changed their countries and an entire generation through peaceful means; men who faced persecutions and abuse, but found that it was more powerful to turn the other cheek than to retaliate.

If you examine what makes you angry, is it justified in the light of love? Many times it isn't; it's our own selfishness, impatience or pride. Occasionally in the face of true injustice a strong response may be required. But in those times can you control yourself enough that you can bring through justice without causing more damage?

No-one is perfect except One and that's Jesus. We may all fall short in many ways, but there are far less worthy goals in life than to follow after Him, to have Him as our ultimate example of what being human is and to seek Him for help when we see we fall short.