Day 76 - Dealing with Anger: Redirect Toward Mourning
Dealing with your anger in a positive way may sound good, but how exactly is it done? One suggestion is to let your anger surface and then redirect it toward mourning. Consider your anger solely in the context of your loss. You may be putting all your energy into your anger to avoid a torrent of tears; this, in turn, has kept you from grieving.
“I’d like to remind you that Jesus Christ wept,” says Dr. Erwin Lutzer. “I’d like to remind you that it says in the New Testament that when Stephen died, they took him to his burial and great lamentation was made over him.
"It’s okay to grieve. There are those who do not grieve, and later on it begins to catch up with them. So you go through that process as long as you understand that it is a process of transition and healing.”
Expressing tears is part of the grieving process; it is part of the healing. Use your anger to help you move forward toward healing, and keep in mind that your anger and tears won’t last forever.
Let your mourning lead you toward hope. No matter where you are in grief, you can always have hope.
“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Lord, let my anger turn to grieving and let my grieving lead to hope. Amen.