Anger Is Poisonous

 

"Farewell to Anger"-By Leonid Afremov

"Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools." Ecclesiastes 7:9

 

The weather is perfect. The sun shining and a breeze blowing, you set off on a short hike. The views are beautiful and after about an hour of hiking you hit an area where some brush and plants are particularly dense. After a few minutes of walking through, you hear a rattle. Before you know what hit you, you've been bitten by a rattle snake. You need help as soon as possible.

Able to make it to the hospital in time, you recover. But the nice breezes and the beauty of your hike was marred by the snake bite. Etched in your memory of that day was the incident with the snake. From now on, if you choose to hike again, you'll be wary and on guard.

If this hiker goes on a few more hikes and each time is bit by a snake or stung by a scorpion more than likely they will just stop hiking. The views and breezes and great moments of the hike are not worth the risk of being poisoned or injured again.

Anger is similar to this hike. We are living a normal, ordinary day, but one with a measure of peace to it---and the anger monster strikes. Out of nowhere. Stunned, we try to recover. But like the hiker there is now a measure of wariness to us, we tread carefully. There is now fear. Fear of being bitten, stung, bruised by anger. Sure, most of the day was good, but there is now a stain to it and a bitter taste that will be remembered.

This anger could be from someone else, or from within ourselves coming out against others or maybe even only affecting ourselves.  In any case it is toxic and poisonous. Those around it want to recoil and hide away to protect themselves. They don't want to feel the sting anymore.

The anger is like accidentally putting something red in with a load of all white laundry. The red has colored the whole load.

The whites are now stained and the stains may be permanent.

"It is better to cry than be angry, because anger hurts others while tears flow silently through the soul and cleanse the heart." Pope John Paul II

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." Colossians 3:8 12-13