We were discussing anger tonight in Bible study, following the reading of Matthew 5:21-26. Here are some thoughts that came up, in no particular order:

Anger is frequently described in the Bible with the imagery of fire and burning. With the devastation of the Victorian bushfires recently, it's worth thinking about the collateral damage that unrestrained anger can cause, and also that fire can be fueled, or damped down.

The words 'slow' and 'anger' also go together in the Bible - most frequently talking about God and the speed at which he gets angry (ie. slowly).

We wondered if much of the anger that we express towards our children comes from us being inconvenienced. And is inconvenience a good enough reason for anger? God gets angry at injustice and rebellion.

We asked God to help us understand the source of our various angers this week. Facing our anger and its reasons will probably help us understand what is real anger, and what is hurt, bitterness or disappointment masquerading as anger.