Reflection: I once did a parenting course that involved learning how to ‘emotion coach’ our children. It was an incredibly effective parenting strategy and one that many of us found effective with our spouses as well! Anger was one of the difficult emotions that is healthy for our children to learn how to recognise.
Paul here encourages us to be aware of our anger, and warns us of three traps that we might face when we are angry. Before we look at those traps, it’s important to notice that Paul refers to anger again in verse 31, where we’re told to ‘get rid of … rage and anger’. Perhaps the distinction is that unrighteous anger is meant in verse 31, but righteous anger is addressed here in verse 26. However, even if our anger is righteous, these three traps remain.
The traps to avoid when we’re angry are those of sinning, nursing our anger, and allowing the devil to take a foothold in our lives through our anger.
When you’re angry, what strategies do you have in place to ensure that you don’t sin, nurse your anger, or allow the devil a foothold?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me when I struggle with being angry. Keep me from sinning, from nursing my anger and from giving the devil a foothold. Amen.