For most of my life I have been very angry; mostly at myself but also towards those nearest to me. I’ve never hit anyone or anything. But I have shouted and screamed; gone very red in the face; paced up and down rooms like a raging bull; and probably caused a few people to be quite scared. The inward anger caused the depression; the outward caused a marriage to fail.

It has taken a few prayer ministry sessions but much of the anger has by now dissolved. I can still get tense at times but rarely does it spill over into heated outbursts. So while I cannot claim to be anger-free I can say that I am a whole lot better.

But here’s the thing: I haven’t learnt to control my anger; I haven’t been taught a technique to keep it in check when it rises. Much of it just isn’t there any longer.

From time to time in Magistrate Courts we send defendants on anger management courses as part of their sentence. Now I’m sure these are well run courses that have a positive effect but I long to tell people, ‘You don’t have to control it; you can actually be healed of it’.

Any other angry people out there?

It’s my birthday this week and I’m posting some more personal stuff on the blog.