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This article is from Today's
Native Father, issue #123, September/October, 2002. Related articles from this issue: |
Expressing Anger in Godly Ways A Bible Study by David Hertzler |
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Anger is a normal part of grieving. When you have lost something that matters very much to you, anger will be a feeling that results. This study shows some ways that people of God used to express their anger and grief and move on toward wholeness. Psalm 7:11. When David was hurt by his enemy, he thought about how God must feel. How does God feel about the wickedness in this world? ________________________________________ How does God express his feelings? ____________________________________________ Psalm 137. When the Jewish exiles in Babylon thought about their homeland, they were filled with grief and anger for all that they had lost. 1. How did they express their feelings? They sat beside the river and ____________________. They refused to ________________________________. They wished that the _____________________ of the Babylonians would be killed violently, as their own had been. 2. This Psalm is Jewish poetry. Is writing poetry a healthy way to express strong feelings? Have you ever written a poem to express your anger or grief? 3. The suffering of these Jews was punishment for their sins. Can you find in this Psalm any clues that they were starting to repent of their sins? (Hint: you can find a picture of this people’s sins in Amos 6:1-7. Notice especially what they were doing in “Zion,” and what kind of songs they were singing.) Lamentations 3. Jeremiah also became an exile after the Babylonian invasion. In Lamentations, he describes the horrors of that invasion and expresses his feelings about what he had experienced. Verses 1-21. Why is it not always good to forget the bad things that happened in the past? Verses 20-21. How can you tell that Jeremiah is not letting himself get “stuck” in anger and bitterness? Verses 22-39. What has Jeremiah remembered about God, that becomes more real to him in his sufferings? Verses 40-51. What creative action is Jeremiah taking as a result of his suffering? Verses 52-66. Is vengeance part of God’s plan for wicked people? Does Jeremiah plan to carry out this vengeance himself? Our children need and deserve the freedom to express anger in safe ways. This vicious act impacted them deeply and permanently. As parents, we need to provide them with a safe outlet to release these feelings. In my opinion, school is not the place for this. This is our job, and we must help kids give full vent to all the fear, rage and hurt. It’s not enough to tell them they are safe. It’s not enough to assure them of our love. It requires intense, prolonged parental intervention. Many kids at first may try to deny that they are feeling rage or even anger to any great extent. But they do. If we don’t allow expression of these feelings, depression, acting out and an increase in juvenile crime may well be the result. If your child is having trouble sleeping, eating or paying attention in school, acting out or just not saying much, it’s time to be proactive and find out what they are truly feeling. Much of the younger generation’s problems stem from a feeling of hopelessness and despair. We need to show them nothing is hopeless. There are things being done in a concrete way to help prevent this from happening again. Search out and find concrete examples of the positive things that have come from this tragedy. Give them hope that things WILL get better. We as parents and caregivers have this opportunity to build strong, trusting relationships with our kids. |
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