Lashing Out!

It looked like your average Indoor Football League touchdown.  At the goal line the ball was handed to running back R.J. Rollins.  After scoring, Rollins began running over to his sideline.  Dave Brumagen, the opposing team’s coach, ran across the field to Rollins and viciously shoved him to the ground (Watch Here).

It is still unclear what drove Brumagen to attack Rollins.  It could be that he just didn’t like Rollins.  Maybe Rollins did something to anger Brumagen in the past.  It’s possible that Brumagen had been building anger against Rollins for some time.  No matter the reason, the coach clearly reached his breaking point and lashed out in childish anger.

Hopefully we never let our anger reach the point where we physically attack someone.  However, people often hold grudges and let negative feelings boil up inside.  The longer we hold on to these feelings, the more our anger and hatred can grow until we end up lashing out.

Sadly, our world often seems to turn a blind eye to anger.  Perhaps this is partly why anger is called a “work of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-20).  In Brumagen’s case, he received a little slap on the wrist in the form of a $500 fine and a 4 game suspension.  As Christians, we are called to a higher standard in regard to anger.  Jesus showed us different levels of sinful anger (Matthew 5:22-24).  Scripture elsewhere tells us to get rid of anger in our lives (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:31-32).  We are also told not to be angry in a sinful way and not even “let the sun go down on our anger” (Ephesians 4:26).

To put it simply, we need to quickly take care of any anger and quarrels we have with others.  If not, it could lead to a multitude of other sins.  Let’s not be a people of anger, but instead be the exact opposite.  Let’s be people of patience, kindness, forgiveness, and even people who give “gentle answers” to turn away wrath in others (Proverbs 15:1).

Adult Hissy Fits

We have all seen it at one time or another.  A two-year-old falls to the ground, kicking, screaming, and throws a bit hissy fit.  Anytime I have seen this, I can’t help but feel embarrassed for the child and the parents.  A fit is one of the ultimate displays of immaturity.  However, despite the fact that we get older, adults still throw hissy fits.

Yesterday evening, the New York Knicks played the Miami Heat in game two of the NBA playoffs.  The Kicks came up short and are now down two games for the series.  Naturally, everyone on the Knicks team was upset and frustrated, but Amare Stoudemire took it to a different level.  Minutes after the end of the game, Stoudemire took his anger and frustration out by punching the glass case around a fire extinguisher.  We might go so far as to say that he threw a hissy fit.

The results of the situation are pretty detrimental.  Stoudemire has several lacerations on his hand which required stitches.  He will miss the next game and possibly the rest of the playoffs.  His selfish move cost his team one of their best players and probably will result in them getting knocked out of the playoffs.  The situation was bad being two games down to a very good Miami team, but the situation now is much, much worse because Stoudemire threw a fit.

Anger is one topic that is well covered by Scripture (Ephesians 4:26, 31-32; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Psalm 37:8; Proverbs 14:17; 15:1, 18; 21:19; etc).  The question at hand is, “How do we react when we are angry?”  Do we act maturely and handle the situation like adults, or become selfish and throw a fit because things didn’t go our way?  It is always wrong when our anger drives us to…

• Violence (Psalm 11:5).
• Hurtful words (Matthew 5:22; Proverbs 15:1).
• Revenge (Matthew 5:38-48; Romans 12:9, 17-21).
• Any other sin (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:26). 

While it comes in a less obvious form, we are kidding ourselves if we think adults don’t throw fits of anger.  Kids throw fits because they didn’t get their way, are being selfish, and make a public display of their disapproval.  Adults are also in situations where they didn’t get their way, are selfish, and decide to make a public display of their feelings.  All things considered, there is very little difference.  Most times, the root of our anger is selfishness.  Something didn’t go MY way, or something happened to ME that I don’t like.

Stoudemire isn’t a bad guy; he just made a bad decision.  I appreciate his comments afterwards on his twitter account, “I am so mad at myself right now.  I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions.  Headed home for a new start.”  Time will tell whether Stoudemire will control his anger or not, but at least he recognizes he was out of place and is looking towards improvement.

We have all lost control of our anger, and yes, even thrown adult hissy fits.  The question is, “What steps are you going to take to have better self-control over your anger” (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5-7)?