Anger

I'm not sure if you have a "default emotion"...that emotion that you always skip other emotions and arrive at first. I might be sad, or hurt, or jealous, but before I ever get to those emotions I take a little detour at angry. It takes me some time to process through from anger to whatever it is I'm actually feeling, but I almost always pause briefly on anger.

In my head I often know that anger isn't the real emotion, but my heart tends to lean towards it. And in those moments of anger, God always gently reminds me of Ephesians 4:26: In your anger, do not sin.

Ugh. How I want to sin. I want to express my anger by being mean or short. I want people to understand my point of view and I don't have any regard for how they feel about it. I want justice for whoever it is that is hurting me.

I have to remember to slow down, be quiet, and try to gain some perspective on the situation. Often times, a little waiting and being quiet is all it takes for my anger to subside to the point where I can deal with it in a right way.