PROVERBS 29
22 A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.
23 One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
24 The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.
25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
26 Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.
27 An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked.
– Proverbs 29:22-27
PROVERBS 29 MANIFESTATIONS OF ANGER
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
A man prone to anger stirs up strife and divisions
They cause much unrest, disturbances and disruptions
Their pride causes them to indulge in their grandiosity
Which leads them to all sorts of conflicts and animosity
An angry person holds on to resentment and bitterness
They constantly demand attention, adoration and praise
They compare themselves to others and mistrust anyone
They mistrust those who don’t give them much attention.
In this saying, we are given the manifestations of anger, its causes and its many forms. You will easily spot them with these signs, but sometimes they can be very manipulative to hide it in passive aggression and manipulation. It is easy to spot those who are explosive but the implosive anger may take a while to recognize. I grew up with both kinds of anger. I’d say that the implosive ones are more treacherous and much more insidious. It took me many years and decades to decode those angry people who hide it and avoid conflicts. They don’t even know that they are actually causing the conflict and trying to hide an overt expression of it, but inside, they are boiling.
Watch out for those who draw attention to themselves either covertly or overtly. They are entitled people who think the whole world owes them something. You must be wondering how I became an expert on spotting these mad people. I was one of them for so many decades until the Lord Jesus Christ showed me the generational sin of pride and the trauma of abuse and neglect and not being loved. I truly feel sorry for these angry people holding onto resentments, traumas and offenses. It grew deep to the bitter roots of being unloved and abandoned. Because we were made in the image of God, who is the essence and embodiment of love, we were all made for love. We get angry just like God would, if there is injustice done to us or when our identities are attacked by the enemy. This was what happened in the garden. They were made to believe that they can have more wisdom than they have already been given. Anger is an offshoot of that clamor for more, the lust and greed for what is already given to them.
REFLECTION
· Give insights to how the root of anger is injustice and not being loved.
