DONT WASTE YOUR ANGER

I played golf recently with a friend who was having quite a good round. Suddenly his fortunes changed and he had a couple of holes that blew out his score.

Then a very poor drive followed, at which he lost his cool and angrily hurled his driver into a tree. Luckily it did not break and he then went and sheepishly retrieved it making some half funny comment to diffuse the situation.

The Bible says “be angry and sin not” In other words, “don’t waste your anger on trivial things.”

To expend anger over an errant golf drive is to waste a strong emotion on a trivial thing.

Anger can be a positive or negative emotion and by its strength usually propels people into action.

Positive anger is a strong emotion focussed toward a noble cause or conviction. Negative anger is when we expend such a strong emotion on trivial or unimportant matters.

It is amazing to me that a grown person can get so angry over a bad golf drive, but nonchalantly watch a documentary on people smuggling or child abuse without a hint of emotion.

Parents who express anger over trivial matters when dealing with their children will find their influence diluted when it comes time to being angry over the things that matter.

To lose your cool over an untidy room whilst not blinking over the mind polluting rubbish served up to our young via the media, is to completely miss the heart of the matter.

What about getting angry over the wastefulness of over-government, or the greed of the banks, or perhaps the blatant exploitation of the young by the smoking and alcohol lobbies.

Anger is a genuine extreme emotion that should propel people into action concerning their deep convictions.

To waste your extreme emotions on trivia is a sin, because it demonstrates a lack of control over your strong emotions.

If it happens over a golf swing, it will happen as road rage, or wife abuse, or in many other ways that are really negative and destructive.

Learn to control your inner self and your outer world will respond. Create the habit of using your strong emotions on issues that are extremely important to you and yours.

Your strong emotions are far too important in the big scheme of things to be wasted on trivial matters.

You don’t just need an anger management course; you need to take control over your inner self including your emotions, and learn to express them in a profitable way for all involved.

Steve Penny