Thankfulness – A Great Remedy for Anger
The Following is an Excerpt from our Book, Angry Without a Cause.
Two miles per hour. That’s how fast we were moving on the Pennsylvania Turn Pike. In two and a half hours, I was scheduled to be in New Jersey to oversee a wedding rehearsal.
Many sighs and groans could be heard from the inside of our car. I was tense, frustrated, and on the verge of panic. I was convinced that when I stopped to pay my toll, I was going to protest having to pay eleven dollars to supposedly “zip” across the state.
Finally, it was over. The cars ahead began to move faster, and we could see what was causing the big holdup. A car had collided with the railing and flipped over into the middle of the highway. From my meager perspective, there was no way the driver could have survived. The car AND the driver were totaled. Suddenly my tardiness seemed like a very small problem. Right then I asked God to forgive me, and my spirit of anger was replaced by a spirit of compassion as I realized I had much to be thankful for.
We can analyze this thing called anger over and over again, but many times I think we just need a good dose of thankfulness to cure this spiritual sickness. The employee that is always complaining about the extra hours he has to work may need to start thanking God that he even has a job. The wife that is frequently frustrated at her husband’s tardiness at the dinner table may need to start thanking the Lord that her husband is working so hard for the family. Church members that have developed a negative attitude about their churches and pastors may need to take the time to remember that the worst day in church is better than the best day in a lost, unconverted state.
