Is Everyone Angry?

Are people angry? You decide?

23% of adults admit to feeling a sense of anger on any given day
60% of those in customer service have experienced hostility
12% of adults admit they struggle to control their anger
20% of us have lost a friendship due to anger
53% of adults say they have been bullied at work
32% of adults say they know a family member or friend who can't control their anger.

That my friends is a problem. As our society moves more & more away from Jesus. As we become more diverse in our beliefs. When we feel more like we've lost control or don't have a say. We feel trapped. We feel our values are attacked and maligned. We move towards anger.

Anger is the "flashing light" on the dashboard of your life signaling there is something wrong under the hood. If left unaddressed and unchecked, there will be a breakdown.

If we are going to Win the Day, we have to know how to Win over Anger. Jesus gave us the remedy. Paul picked up on the idea as he wrote to friends in Colossi. It's in learning how to forgive those we feel have wronged us.

Here might be two reasons why it' hard for you to forgive.

1) You think to forgive them is let them off the hook. We've got to make them pay us back right? After all, they "owe us" we reason. If we forgive them, they won't suffer like they made us suffer? Do you ever feel like that?

2) You think to forgive them means what they did will no longer hurt us. So we wait for the pain to subside and it never does. We can't seem to forget what they have done. So we nurse the hurt.

Many more people than we imagine are stuck and will never Win the Day until they Win Over Anger. Who is it in your world that has hurt you? Are there steps you need to take to forgive? Are you ready to move forward? If so you'll want to join me this Sunday as we seek to Win Over Anger.

Pastor Mike

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