Matthew 5:21-22, James 1:19, Matthew 5:23-26, Galatians 5:22

Matt Summerfield considers the best way to deal with anger

Matt Summerfield

So...have you killed anybody recently?

At this point you might be thinking that that is a horrific and offensive way to begin an article. No doubt, everyone reading this - I hope - would be pleased to report that they do very well at keeping the commandment 'Do Not Murder'.

But before we tick off this commandment we need to remember Jesus' reflection of this command in Matthew 5:21-22:

"You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.' But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell".

Jesus reminds us in these verses that murder almost always begins when we are carrying anger towards someone. And whilst we might not physically act out what we're thinking we can certainly hold murderous thoughts. Thoughts which sometimes break out into hurtful and murderous words. For example:

"I wish you had never been born!"
"I wish you were dead!"
"You are nothing!"

No wonder someone once said, "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret".

We all handle our anger in different ways. Some of us explode; others of us bury it; whilst others use indirect means to get back at people e.g. snide comments and sarcasm.

But what is the right approach to responding to anger?

In 2008 Donna Alexander thought she'd created the perfect answer when she opened up The Anger Room in Dallas, Texas. For a mere $25 people could have five minutes smashing the living daylights out of a room of stuff. It they had serious issues then for $75 they could have 25 minutes of 'total demolition. The Anger Room is filled with old televisions and furniture ready to be destroyed by the next angry punter. You won't be surprised to know that people are only allowed in the room one at a time.

But this is not the solution that Jesus speaks about in Matthew 5.

What is Jesus way of managing our anger?

1. Admit My Anger
In any area of failure our first responsibility is always to admit we have a problem. To admit that we are angry.

At least The Incredible Hulk admits he has an anger management issue and is trying to do something about it.