“Anger can feel chaotic, and so can other emotions. The task is to let God help you put boundaries around your chaotic feelings. . . . But just as God contained chaos ‘in the beginning,’ with his help you can grow to love the most difficult parts of yourself and find that ‘the boundary lines […]
“Anger feels empowering in the moment but leads to feelings of guilt, sadness, and even shame. If you don’t address your anger, before long you’ll feel chaotic inside.”- Alison Cook and Kimberly Miller “If we do not transform our pain, we most assuredly will transmit it.”- Richard Rohr In Chapter 9 (“Boundaries with Anger”) of […]
“If we’re reacting from our bird brain, we cannot have a productive conversation. It doesn’t matter how smart we are.”- John Ortberg “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”- James 1:19 (NIV) John Ortberg continues Chapter 12 of I’d […]
“It’s [forgiveness] more than just dealing with your feelings, it’s forgiving someone specific.”- Kyle Idleman “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.”- 2 Timothy 4:14 In Chapter 6 (“More Prevailing Than Your Vengeance”) of Grace Is Greater, Kyle Idleman asks what happens […]
“When we live in grace, releasing doesn’t mean giving up, it means giving it up to God. . . . You loosen your grip from the pain of what was done to you and you place it in God’s hands.”- Kyle Idleman As Kyle Idleman concludes Chapter 5 of Grace Is Greater, he presents the […]
“Our emotions can tie us up, hold us down, and have a way of choking our resolve to forgive. They are roadblocks that keep us from moving forward with forgiveness.”- Kyle Idleman “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the […]
“Instead of giving someone a piece of your mind — it’s far better to give them pieces of your heart.”- Ann Voskamp In Chapter 16 (“When It Comes to Wooing God and Healing Wounds”) of The Broken Way, Ann Voskamp cites Jean Vanier, a Canadian Catholic philosopher. Mr. Vanier observes: “Most of the time to […]
“Intercessory prayer . . . acknowledges our inability and God’s ability. We come with empty hands but high hopes.”- Max Lucado Max Lucado begins Chapter 7 (“They Need Help”) of Before Amen with a three-part question. What can you do when: the challenge is greater than you are? the hurt is palpable? you feel helpless […]
“At its root, self-forgiveness is a choice.”- Dr. Gary Chapman Gary Chapman concludes Chapter 12 of Anger with steps four and five of a positive approach to processing anger. 4. Choose to forgive yourself. Dr. Chapman states forgiving yourself has much in common with forgiving someone who has sinned against you. You feel pained at […]
“Be at peace with yourself and then you will be able to bring peace to others.”- Thomas A Kempis In Chapter 12 (“I’m Angry at Myself”) of Anger, Dr. Gary Chapman begins by listing reason you may not be at peace with yourself. When we experience anger at ourselves, it is because we: perceive ourselves […]
“Every person who feels anger toward God will follow the example of Cain or Elijah.”- Dr. Gary Chapman Today Dr. Chapman discusses the second and third steps in responsibly handling anger toward God. STEP TWO: Listen to God’s message. Expressing our honest concerns to God puts us in a position to listen to His “quiet […]
“The problem with our anger toward God is not the anger itself but how we handle the anger.”- Dr. Gary Chapman As Dr. Gary Chapman concludes Chapter 11 of Anger, he analyzes our anger with God as distorted anger. Even though no wrongdoing occurs on God’s part, we still experience real anger. In addition, Gary states, […]