OVERCOMING ANGER and HOSTILITY

Ron Bainbridge

Today’s Message of Encouragement from Discovering A BETTER LIFE MINISTRIES

https://abl-alb.wixsite.com/discoverabetterlife

(Stories of: Real People, Real Events, Real Places)

And are dedicated to HELPING

PEOPLE FIND PEACE and HOPE

(John 10:10)

(Ron Bainbridge, Editor)

(March 7th, 2020)

OVERCOMING ANGER

and HOSTILITY

Friend, every day, the morning newspapers and TV reports tell us about the day’s events. Many of these reports inform us about violence: assault, murder, armed robbery, rape, assassination, Terrorism, and global skirmishes. All of these are symptoms of a society which has experienced rampant hostility.

Of the four major destructive emotions---fear, guilt, hostility, and failure---hostility is the worst. Only the dramatic or tragic acts of hostility make the headlines. We don’t hear much about the friendships, the working relationships, or the families which are being torn apart by hostility.

Unfortunately, this tragic situation will continue until we learn that hostility is like an acid which does greater damage to the container in which it is stored than the object on which it is poured.

Some people blame television for the increasing violence in our midst, feeling that the instant, full-colour presentation of violent scenes from every corner of the earth serves to advertise and encourage violence.

There is some truth in this. However, these widespread acts of hostility are only symptoms of a deeper problem. Advertising violence may tend to spread it, but only because beneath the surface there are already the seeds of violence among many people in many places.

Friend, de-personalization of the individual has been one of the negative results of both the technological age and the population explosion. For instance, when a person feels that they are an unimportant, unnoticed cog in a great wheel, they are likely to feel resentment. In our present era, people also seem to be more suspicious of one another and to trust and depend less on one another.

Many people view the world they live in as unjust. Some live with constant fear and anxiety. In fact, these and other feelings like them are among the main causes of widespread anger. Anger can easily become hostility and hostility often erupts into violence.

It is often true, just as Solomon wrote: “As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.” (Proverbs 26:21).

Some years ago, a prominent doctor described two farmers who had a falling out over a relatively unimportant matter---one man’s cows occasionally strayed into the other man’s paddock. The farmer, whose paddock had been violated, developed a hatred for his neighbour that eventually caused stomach ulcers.

The aggrieved farmer eventually developed problems with his ulcers, which necessitated him, from time to time, to stay in the hospital for a few days and then go home.

On one occasion when his neighbour's cows got into his paddock, he shot two of them. When this case went to court, he had to pay the damages. This resulted in such a flare-up of his ulcers that he died. Tragically, over a period of twenty years, this farmer had committed suicide---the slow, hard way---out of hatred for his neighbour.

As I reflect on this real-life situation I have just shared with you, I would like to stress that retaliation is never an appropriate way to express our anger. On the other hand, to suppress or to repress anger also has bad consequences.

However, anger can be expressed appropriately, but it involves honestly admitting our anger before it develops into bitterness and hatred, which may cause us to attack the source. This allows for a rational analysis of the situation. It also increases the possibility of the situation being resolved.

Friend, perhaps, even as you are reading this message today, you are facing some serious problems in your life. Perhaps they are big ones, which are causing you to feel hostile and angry!

Well, I’m not going to tell you there are any easy answers. However, we do care about you and we want to provide you with help by offering a FREE pamphlet titled “Overcoming HOSTILITY,” which may be of some value in helping you find solutions.

To receive your copy, along with a complimentary booklet “How to Handle TROUBLE”, write to Discovering A BETTER LIFE, P.O. Box 1540, Albany Western Australia 6331. Or email us at: abl-alb@omninet.net.au