Happy Life and Work

If you are unhappy much of the time, you might be battling some past and possibly deeply rooted feelings of bitterness and anger.  To find the peace and happiness you desire, you must deal with that root of bitterness and anger.  It is not easy to do, but I can tell you from personal experience it is freeing!

Proverbs 29:11 tells us that “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.”

Life and the workplace can be pressure-packed. The demands that are often put on us can bring out things that we never knew were there. Sometimes we begin to think that the source of that pressure is to blame for our response to the pressure. It could be an event, a spouse, a boss, a client, a child, or even a driver who cuts us off in traffic.

I recall responding to a close friend one time, “If you had not done that, I would never have responded that way.” Later I learned that this response had little truth to it. We all choose to get angry. No one else is to blame for our anger.

“The circumstances of life, the events of life, and the people around me in life, do not make me the way I am, but reveal the way I am” [Dr. Sam Peeples].

This simple quote has had a profound impact on how I view my anger now. Anger only reveals what is inside of me. I can’t blame anyone but me for my response to a situation. I have learned that anger is only the symptom of something else that is going on inside of me. This quote now resides on my refrigerator door as a daily reminder of the truth about my response to life’s situations.

It has been said that anger is like the warning panel on the dash of your car. It is the light that tells us something is going on under the hood and we need to find out what is the source of the problem. I discovered that the source of anger is often unmet expectations or personal rights. We believe we are entitled to a particular outcome to a situation. When this doesn’t happen, it triggers something in us. At the core of this is fear, often a fear of failure or rejection, fear of what others think, fear of the unknown.

If you struggle with anger, ask God to reveal the source of that anger. Ask Him to heal you of any fears that may be the root of your anger. Ask God to help you take responsibility for your response to difficult situations.

Two resources I highly recommend are displayed below. They helped me and I know they will help you deal with the anger issues you may be wrestling with and become happier in life and at work.

The Anger Trap, Paperback By Dr. Les Carter / John Wiley & Sons The Anger Trap is a landmark book that strips away the myths and misconceptions about anger and reveals how you can learn to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy anger so that you may choose, or help someone else to choose, a better, more spiritually enlightened path. The Anger Trap examines the root causes of anger and can help you realize your patterns and break the destructive cycles of criticism, frustration, and irritation that hurt you and others around you.

Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way By Gary Chapman / Northfield What is anger? Where does it come from? And how can we handle it in a healthy, godly way? There is much confusion on the issue – especially for Christians. You’ll find the answers to these questions and more in this handy guide. Includes quick takes on topics like responding to an angry person, “good” vs. “bad” anger, forgiving, and other important issues for you and your family. Includes discussion guide. Revised and updated edition of The Other Side of Love, by Dr. Gary Chapman.

Tags: Anger, Anger Management, Be Happy, Bitterness, Living a Happy Life, Overcome Anger, Pressure at Work, Victorious Life

This entry was posted on Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 3:52 PM and is filed under Be Happy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.