Anger and a root of bitterness

[YYZ Skinhead]

Probably my biggest flaw is that I stay angry--often to the point of hateful--toward people who have done something bad to me. I have no idea how to forgive people, and I end up remaining angry at people for years (decades, sometimes). I can't remember which verses say: "don't let the sun set on your anger", "be angry and sin not" and I know that if I don't forgive people God won't forgive me. I have forgiven people, but I've forgotten how. I have a "root of bitterness" that would make a giant redwood tree jealous and I dunno how to get rid of it.

Nowadays I know that God has all along wanted me to get rid of anger. This sounds very odd, but I love surreal art and my fav surrealist artist is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker named Zbigniew Rybczynski. I have liked his music videos since 1984. His first name means "to dispel anger". I am not making this up.
http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Zbigniew
http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/pol2.php

Mind you I've liked this artist for longer than 25 years but I only found out what his name meant a few years ago. If this isn't God reminding me that I need to dispel my own anger I dunno what is. I wish I knew how to do it, because feeling angry all the time is hardly a picnic for me and I am usually miserable.

[Vic]

(07-01-2010 02:39 PM)YYZ Skinhead Wrote:  Probably my biggest flaw is that I stay angry--often to the point of hateful--toward people who have done something bad to me. I have no idea how to forgive people, and I end up remaining angry at people for years (decades, sometimes). I can't remember which verses say: "don't let the sun set on your anger", "be angry and sin not" and I know that if I don't forgive people God won't forgive me. I have forgiven people, but I've forgotten how. I have a "root of bitterness" that would make a giant redwood tree jealous and I dunno how to get rid of it.

Nowadays I know that God has all along wanted me to get rid of anger. This sounds very odd, but I love surreal art and my fav surrealist artist is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker named Zbigniew Rybczynski. I have liked his music videos since 1984. His first name means "to dispel anger". I am not making this up.
http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Zbigniew
http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/pol2.php

Mind you I've liked this artist for longer than 25 years but I only found out what his name meant a few years ago. If this isn't God reminding me that I need to dispel my own anger I dunno what is. I wish I knew how to do it, because feeling angry all the time is hardly a picnic for me and I am usually miserable.

I think many people have to deal with anger and forgiveness often on a day to day basis.

We've talked before about the issue and as I have shared I used to be controlled by anger for many years as a result of trying to deal with my past as I grew older. I think God allows us time to mature in order to be able to honestly look at those things that were huge issues in our lives and be able to deal. Anger I believe results in lack of being able to forgive-sometimes because we simply don't understand things.

I think we have to be able to confess and give that anger and not being able to deal with it all over to Christ, because He is the only one who can give us the peace and joy that comes from serving Him. I also believe that when we take that time to do that, and honestly say we are unable to forgive someone, and ask God to give us the mind of Christ on these things, and have Him give us the forgiveness we need for others. He has forgiven us sooo much and I think that really is the basis of learning to forgive others 70 timess 7...look at our own lives and see just how much He has forgiven and indeed 'puts up with' from us.

Don't beat your self up and think this is something unique because I think if people are honest they can think of someone or something that they have had sinful anger and unforgiveness about. It's not that we don't have it at times----it's what we do about it in obedience to Christ that becomes the issue.

[Rose of Shushan]

Quote:Don't beat your self up and think this is something unique because I think if people are honest they can think of someone or something that they have had sinful anger and unforgiveness about. It's not that we don't have it at times----it's what we do about it in obedience to Christ that becomes the issue. 6788

I agree with all you said Vic and like you said it's what we do with it that is the issue.
While of course I believe that we all have to help ourselves by trying to control the anger I believe the ultimate healing from this comes from God.And I don't necessarily think that it is something that once you are healed from that there will no longer be any anger issues.Speaking from experience just when we think we have a particular sin such as anger controlled something can happen that leads us to fall yet again.
Life can be hard and things can happen which, like Vic said, leads to us having difficulties in forgiving and the issues with anger could well resurface.Thats why I feel its important to take our issues to Jesus continually and ask for His help in changing our hearts because we alone can not do it.
Trying to correct ourselves by our own power is unpredictable,it can work to various degrees but it is when God steps in and changes us that mountains are brought down and yokes discarded.
And God will not change us against our will which is why I also feel it is important that when hard situations come, be it with anger or other temptations, that we take them to Christ and ask His help and admit our inabilities to truly change on our own.

[sheep wrecked]

(07-01-2010 02:39 PM)YYZ Skinhead Wrote:  Probably my biggest flaw is that I stay angry--often to the point of hateful--toward people who have done something bad to me. I have no idea how to forgive people, and I end up remaining angry at people for years (decades, sometimes). I can't remember which verses say: "don't let the sun set on your anger", "be angry and sin not" and I know that if I don't forgive people God won't forgive me. I have forgiven people, but I've forgotten how. I have a "root of bitterness" that would make a giant redwood tree jealous and I dunno how to get rid of it.

Nowadays I know that God has all along wanted me to get rid of anger. This sounds very odd, but I love surreal art and my fav surrealist artist is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker named Zbigniew Rybczynski. I have liked his music videos since 1984. His first name means "to dispel anger". I am not making this up.
http://www.babynamespedia.com/meaning/Zbigniew
http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/pol2.php

Mind you I've liked this artist for longer than 25 years but I only found out what his name meant a few years ago. If this isn't God reminding me that I need to dispel my own anger I dunno what is. I wish I knew how to do it, because feeling angry all the time is hardly a picnic for me and I am usually miserable.

For me, when I am angry with someone, I try to figure out why. Is is because they did something to me or someone else? Why did they do it? It is the way the person usually acts? From there, I then think about how God would have me react to whatever happened. Forgiveness is not about forgetting what a person did to you, but not allowing it to become that root of bitterness. At that point, I trust God to clear my heart and head of resentment, but remain wary if the person cannot be trusted.

I think we all react inappropriately towards what people do to us. Forgiveness is a difficult thing at times, but if one looks to Christ and remembers what He said on the cross at a time when He was undergoing the ultimate suffering - He said, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. It is a matter of the heart being in line with the will of God. By His grace and mercy He will bring us there, if we submit to Him.