Long-Term Anger

Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains. Proverbs 14:13

If you seem to have lost the spark in your marriage, if your enthusiasm for life is waning, or if you find yourself irritable and often snap at your spouse or children, you may be suffering from long-term anger.

When we overreact to little irritations, it is a sign that we have anger stored inside. Stored anger can eventually lead to huge explosions. That’s when people wonder, What happened to him? because the explosion seems out of character. But what people have not seen is the buildup of anger that has been going on inside the person, perhaps for years.

When we hold anger inside instead of getting rid of it, the pressure mounts. In Proverbs 14:13, King Solomon wisely observes that hidden emotions don’t just go away. That’s why the Bible says, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26). Get rid of anger quickly. If you don’t, you can become a chronically angry person, ready to explode at any time. That’s never good for your marriage.

PRAYER
Father, forgive me for letting things build up inside me for so long. I don’t want to hurt my spouse by such misplaced, explosive anger. Please help me to deal with my strong emotions when they come.