We heard a reference to rage in one of the addresses at the Memorial Service for the victims of the Arizona shootings. The shooter was described by people who knew him as a person with a lot of anger within
There have been numerous incidents of “road rage” experienced by drivers. Drivers running other drivers off the road, screaming out the window, cursing and making obscene gestures; and the worse scenario, actually shooting drivers or pedestrians.
At times, Anger Management Programs are implemented to deal with aggression.
The Bible has examples of people with unresolved anger issues. The Old Testament account of King Saul gives us a picture of a man who was frequently out of control. He obviously had episodes of anger that escalated to proportions that led to attempts to harm the innocent.
In I Samuel 20, Saul threatened to kill David. When Jonathan, his son, tried to intervene, “Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him.” David was a hunted man who was forced to run for his life time and again. The Bible account clearly states that David is provoked to anger at times, but the difference is clear. Even when he had opportunity to take revenge on Saul, he spared his life, even honored Saul’s position.
David’s prescription for anger was not to give into it, but rather to employ the covenant commandments that controlled his life in the situation. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, gave birth to Cain and Able. The first murder is recorded in Genesis, chapter 4. Cain murdered Able because of jealousy and rage.
As New Testament believers, we have a better way (Hebrews 12). We are admonished to live in peace, to love, to forgive. There is no place for rage. If anger is unresolved in our personal lives, we need to take steps to correct it, and to learn how to respond to anger in others.
In a Gallup poll, Road Rage statistics show that Miami, FL has the highest rate of road rage confrontations in the country.
ARE YOU AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER? (85% of road rage incidents involve men.)
The Official Site of AAA gives these recommendations:
Ø Do things to change your mood
Ø Take action
Ø Drive slower
Ø Sing
Distraction is one of the best tools to change your mood. Take seriously the consequences of unresolved anger. “The life you save may be your own.”
Comments
Good article Penny!
Thanks, Joseph.
How true Penny. I am constantly coming across people with anger they allow to get out of control. Essex County House of Correction is over run with men who do not know how to deal with their anger. The anger management program there is full.
Hey Rob! Thanx for checking in, and for your comment. Yes, it seems that our culture is becoming "rage-ridden". It shows the morality temp, for sure.
You have rage in all sense of your life from traffic to grocery stores to waiting for your order at a drive in.
That's for sure, Ruthie. I think it has touched every social area of life -- if not rage, then anger. That is why it is so important to get anger in check and resolve the issues that cause it.
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