Scripture

Explore me, O God, and know the real me. Dig deeply and discover who I am. Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain.
Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me, and guide me down Your path forever. Psalm 139:23-24 (VOICE)

The Gist

Anger can be seen as taboo, but what if we looked at it as a map, as Julia Cameron of The Artist's Way describes it? The tricky part about anger is it's usually guarding another emotion (some of those emotions can be good and some not so good).

Instead of fighting the anger or dismissing it, try sitting and answering some questions that may help you find your way to the real emotion behind the anger.

We usually become angry when something we love is being threatened. What am I protecting? What in me feels threatened? If my anger could speak honestly, what would it say? What needs to be made right? What am I grieving?

If our anger leads us to greater honesty and a fuller return to God's presence, then even this difficult emotion is a gracious invitation rather than a burden to fix.

Digging Deeper

Lamentations 3:40 says, Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Take this formula - Examine - Test - Return and sit with your anger, asking:

Examine - observe what's there - What am I feeling?

Test - discern what is true - What is this anger revealing?

Return - respond to what God reveals - Now what?