Anger vs. Exasperation<\/b><\/p>\n
A father wanted to illustrate to his son the difference between \u201canger\u201d and \u201cexasperation.\u201d He looked up the phone number of a pompous fellow commuter whom he knew only by name and reputation, and he dialed the number. When the call was answered by the man, the father asked, \u201cIs Adolph there?\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s no Adolph here. Why don\u2019t you get the right number before bothering people this hour of the night?\u201d roared the man on the other end.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow that,\u201d said the father when he put down the phone, \u201cwas simply annoyance. We\u2019ll wait a few minutes, and then you\u2019ll hear something.\u201d After a decent interval, the father dialed the same number and again asked, \u201cIs Adolph there?\u201d This time the other party literally screamed into the phone, \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with you, are you crazy? I told you to look up the number and stop bothering me!\u201d Whereupon the receiver at the other end was slammed down. \u201cNow that fellow was angry,\u201d said the father. \u201cIn a few minutes I will show you what I mean by exasperation compared to anger.\u201d<\/p>\n
After 15 minutes or so, the father dialed the same number for the third time, and when the same man answered at the other end, the father said almost cheerily, \u201cHello, this is Adolph. Have there been any messages for me during the past half hour or so?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ralph L. Woods, The Modern Handbook of Humor, McGraw-Hill, quoted in Bits & Pieces, June 22, 1995, pp. 3-5.<\/p>\n
Bad Decision<\/b><\/p>\n
Many years ago a senior executive of the then Standard Oil Company made a wrong decision that cost the company more than $2 million. John D. Rockefeller was then running the firm. On the day the news leaked out most of the executives of the company were finding various ingenious ways of avoiding Mr. Rockefeller, lest his wrath descend on their heads.<\/p>\n
There was one exception, however; he was Edward T. Bedford, a partner in the company. Bedford was scheduled to see Rockefeller that day and he kept the appointment, even though he was prepared to listen to a long harangue against the man who made the error in judgment.<\/p>\n
When he entered the office the powerful head of the gigantic Standard Oil empire was bent over his desk busily writing with a pencil on a pad of paper. Bedford stood silently, not wishing to interrupt. After a few minutes Rockefeller looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, it\u2019s you, Bedford,\u201d he said calmly. \u201cI suppose you\u2019ve heard about our loss?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bedford said that he had. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking it over,\u201d Rockefeller said, \u201cand before I ask the man in to discuss the matter, I\u2019ve been making some notes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bedford later told the story this way:<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross the top of the page was written, \u2018Points in favor of Mr. _______.\u2019 There followed a long list of the man\u2019s virtues, including a brief description of how he had helped the company make the right decision on three separate occasions that had earned many times the cost of his recent error.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never forgot that lesson. In later years, whenever I was tempted to rip into anyone, I forced myself first to sit down and thoughtfully compile as long a list of good points as I possibly could. Invariably, by the time I finished my inventory, I would see the matter in its true perspective and keep my temper under control. There is no telling how many times this habit has prevented me from committing one of the costliest mistakes any executive can make — losing his temper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI commend it to anyone who must deal with people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bits & Pieces, September 15, 1994, pp.11\u201313<\/p>\n
Great Testimony<\/b><\/p>\n
Bruce Goodrich was being initiated into the cadet corps at Texas A & M University. One night, Bruce was forced to run until he dropped — but he never got up. Bruce Goodrich died before he even entered college.<\/p>\n
A short time after the tragedy, Bruce\u2019s father wrote this letter to the administration, faculty, student body, and the corps of cadets: \u201cI would like to take this opportunity to express the appreciation of my family for the great outpouring of concern and sympathy from Texas A & M University and the college community over the loss of our son Bruce. We were deeply touched by the tribute paid to him in the battalion. We were particularly pleased to note that his Christian witness did not go unnoticed during his brief time on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Goodrich went on: \u201cI hope it will be some comfort to know that we harbor no ill will in the matter. We know our God makes no mistakes. Bruce had an appointment with his Lord and is now secure in his celestial home. When the question is asked, \u2018Why did this happen?\u2019 perhaps one answer will be, \u2018So that many will consider where they will spend eternity.\u2019\u201c<\/p>\n
Our Daily Bread, March 22, 1994<\/p>\n
Hostility and Health<\/b><\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another study that says hostility can hurt your heart.<\/p>\n
Doctors from Coral Gables, Fla., compared the efficiency of the heart\u2019s pumping action in 18 men with coronary artery disease to nine healthy controls.<\/p>\n
Each of the study participants underwent one physical stress test (riding an exercise bicycle) and three mental stress tests (doing math problems in their heads, recalling a recent incident that had made them very angry, and giving a short speech to defend themselves against a hypothetical charge of shoplifting). Using sophisticated X-ray techniques, the doctors took pictures of the subjects\u2019 hearts in action during these tests.<\/p>\n
For all the subjects, anger reduced the amount of blood that the heart pumped to body tissues more than the other tests, but this was especially true for those who had heart disease.<\/p>\n
Why anger is so much more potent than fear or mental stress is anybody\u2019s guess. But until we see more research on this subject, it couldn\u2019t hurt to count to 10 before you blow your stack.<\/p>\n
Spokesman-Review, July 29, 1993, Page D3<\/p>\n
Productive <\/p>\n
Many years ago during a Knicks-Bullets playoff game, one of the Bullets came up from behind the great Walt Frazier and punched him in the face. Strangely, the referee called a foul on Frazier. Frazier didn\u2019t complain. His expression never changed. He simply called for the ball and put in seven straight shots to win the game, an amazing display of productive anger. If you want to get huffy about it, it was a great moral lesson as well.<\/p>\n
U.S. News & World Report, June 14, 1993, p.37<\/p>\n
Right <\/p>\n
A person who is angry on the right grounds, against the right persons, in the right manner, at the right moment, and for the right length of time deserves great praise. <\/p>\n
Bits & Pieces, May 27, 1993, Page 1<\/p>\n
Anger and Abuse<\/b><\/p>\n
A recent survey on marital violence reports that approximately one in every seven American couples has used some form of physical abuse during an argument in the past year.<\/p>\n
National Institute of Mental Health, Family Happiness is Homemade, Vol. 14, No. 6, June 1990<\/p>\n
Angry Words<\/b><\/p>\n
The fastest horse cannot catch a word spoken in anger. – Chinese Proverb<\/p>\n
Bits & Pieces, July 25, 1992, Page 5<\/p>\n
Anger Spreads<\/b><\/p>\n
In the spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine baseball game. But what happened that day was anything but routine.<\/p>\n
The Orioles\u2019 John McGraw got into a fight with the Boston third baseman. Within minutes all the players from both teams had joined in the brawl. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans the conflict went from bad to worse. Someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. Not only that, but the fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well. <\/p>\n
Our Daily Bread, August 13, 1992<\/p>\n
Anger and Health<\/b><\/p>\n
The 18th-century British physician John Hunter, who was a pioneer in the field of surgery and served as surgeon to King George III, suffered from angina. Discovering that his attacks were often brought on by anger, Hunter lamented, \u201cMy life is at the mercy of any scoundrel who chooses to put me in a passion.\u201d These words proved prophetic, for at a meeting of the board of St. George\u2019s Hospital in London, Hunter got into a heated argument with other board members, walked out, and dropped dead in the next room. <\/p>\n
Today in the Word, June 8, 1992<\/p>\n
Quotes<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one. – Benjamin Franklin<\/p>\n
\u2022 It is he who is in the wrong who first gets angry. – William Penn<\/p>\n
\u2022 Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back–in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you. – Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, Transformed by Thorns, p. 117<\/p>\n
\u2022 Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame. – Benjamin Franklin<\/p>\n
Shouting Contest<\/b><\/p>\n
A father of three won a shouting contest with a roar louder than a passing train. \u201cIf you want a war, you go!\u201d Yoshihiko Kato shouted. The sound meter registered 115.8 decibels, louder than the racket of a train passing overhead on an elevated railroad. For that winning shout, Kato won the $750 grand prize of the 10th annual Halls Year-End Loud Voice Contest. Kato admitted that he probably built up his loud voice shouting at his children. <\/p>\n
Resource, Jan\/Feb 1991<\/p>\n
The Letter<\/b><\/p>\n
Abraham Lincoln\u2019s secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, was angered by an army officer who accused him of favoritism. Stanton complained to Lincoln, who suggested that Stanton write the officer a sharp letter. Stanton did, and showed the strongly worded missive to the president. \u201cWhat are you going to do with it?\u201d Lincoln inquired. Surprised, Stanton replied, \u201cSend it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Lincoln shook his head. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to send that letter,\u201d he said. \u201cPut it in the stove. That\u2019s what I do when I have written a letter while I am angry. It\u2019s a good letter and you had a good time writing it and feel better. Now burn it, and write another.\u201d <\/p>\n
Today in the Word, February, 1991, p. 9<\/p>\n
Toscanini<\/b><\/p>\n
The great Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini was legendary for his fits of rage. The librarian of one of Toscanini\u2019s orchestras was particularly vexed by the maestro\u2019s habit of throwing valuable musical scores at the musicians when angry. Watching closely, the librarian observed that Toscanini\u2019s first act when enraged was to take his baton in both hands and try to break it. If the baton snapped, Toscanini usually calmed down and rehearsal continued. If the baton did not break, he began hurling scores. <\/p>\n
The librarian\u2019s solution? He made sure the conductor had a generous supply of flimsy batons on hand for rehearsal! <\/p>\n
Today in the Word, February, 1991, p. 22<\/p>\n
Amish <\/p>\n
An author for READERS DIGEST writes how he studied the Amish people in preparation for an article on them. In his observation at the school yard, he noted that the children never screamed or yelled. This amazed him. He spoke to the schoolmaster. He remarked how he had not once heard an Amish child yell, and asked why the schoolmaster thought that was so. The schoolmaster replied, \u201cWell, have you ever heard an Amish adult yell?\u201d <\/p>\n
Counter Attack, Jay Carty, Multnomah Press, 1988, p. 41ff<\/p>\n
Anger Spreads Like Fire<\/b><\/p>\n
Residents who have lived above a smoldering underground coal mine fire for up to 21 years should get federal help now that they have voted to leave their homes and let government crews try to snuff the flames. \u201cI would like to stay in my home, but I do not want to live on top of fire and gases,\u201d said Mary Tyson, a 70-year-old Centralia native. A recent federal report warned that the fire, if unchecked, could spread to 3,700 acres–20 times the current size–and burn under all of Centralia and the nearby villages of Byrnesville and Germantown. <\/p>\n
Spokesman Review, August 12, 1983<\/p>\n
Tone of Voice<\/b><\/p>\n
90% of the friction of daily life is caused by the wrong tone of voice. <\/p>\n
Leadership, v. 1, #4, p. 23<\/p>\n
Anger and Death<\/b><\/p>\n
Angry cynical people die young. Men who score high for hostility on standard tests are four times more likely to die prematurely than men whose scores are low. <\/p>\n
Bottom Line, quoted in Homemade, Feb 1989<\/p>\n
Angry Moose<\/b><\/p>\n
National park ranger in British Columbia who has a two sets of huge antlers, as wide as a man\u2019s reach; ;locked together. <\/p>\n
Evidently two bull moose began fighting, their antlers locked, and they could not get free. They died due to anger. <\/p>\n
National Geographic, November, 1985.<\/p>\n
Anger – Shotgun<\/b><\/p>\n
A lady once came to Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with losing my temper,\u201d <\/p>\n
She said. \u201cI blow up, and then it\u2019s all over.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cSo does a shotgun,\u201d Sunday replied, \u201cand look at the damage it leaves behind!\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a wonderfully responsive sports car, gunning the motor, taking off at high speed and then discovering the brakes are out of order. <\/p>\n
Maggie Scarg in New York Times Magazine<\/p>\n
Woodpecker<\/b><\/p>\n
Jim Taylor in CURRENTS tells the following story about his friend, Ralph Milton: One morning Ralph woke up at five o\u2019clock to a noise that sounded like someone repairing boilers on his roof. Still in his pajamas, he went into the back yard to investigate. He found a woodpecker on the TV antenna, \u201cpounding its little brains out on the metal pole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angry at the little creature who ruined his sleep, Ralph picked up a rock and threw it. The rock sailed over the house, and he heard a distant crash as it hit the car. In utter disgust, Ralph took a vicious kick at a clod of dirt, only to remember — too late — that he was still in his bare feet.<\/p>\n
Uncontrolled anger, as Ralph leaned, can sometimes be its own reward. <\/p>\n
C. Swindoll, Growing Strong, p. 332; <\/p>\n
Angry Traveler<\/b><\/p>\n
As a passenger boarded the Los Angeles-to-New York plane, he told the flight attendant to wake him and make sure he got off in Dallas. The passenger awoke just as the plane was landing in New York. Furious, he called the flight attendant and demanded an explanation. The fellow mumbled an apology and, in a rage, the passenger stomped off the plane. <\/p>\n
\u201cBoy, was he ever mad!\u201d another crew member observed to her errant colleague. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think he was mad,\u201d replied the flight attendant, \u201cyou should have seen the guy I put off the plane in Dallas!\u201d – H.B. McClung<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Two Letters<\/b><\/p>\n
When Abraham Lincoln had to write a letter to someone who had irritated him, he would often write two letters. The first letter was deliberately insulting. Then, having gotten those feelings out of his system, he would tear it up and write a second letter, this one tactful and discreet. <\/p>\n
John Luther in Bits and Pieces, Oct 1990<\/p>\n
De Gaulle and Churchill<\/b><\/p>\n
Charles De Gaulle once said: \u201cWhen I am right, I get angry. Churchill gets angry when he is wrong. So we were very often angry at each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Birdhouse<\/b><\/p>\n
A \u201cDo it yourself\u201d catalog firm received the following letter from one of its customers: \u201cI built a birdhouse according to your stupid plans, and not only is it much too big, it keeps blowing out of the tree. Signed, Unhappy. <\/p>\n
The firm replied: \u201cDear Unhappy, We\u2019re sorry about the mix-up. We accidentally sent you a sailboat blueprint. But if you think you are unhappy, you should read the letter from the guy who came in last in the yacht club regatta.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
A God-Given Emotion<\/b><\/p>\n
Anger is a divinely implanted emotion. Closely allied to our instinct for right, it is designed to be used for constructive spiritual purposes. The person who cannot feel anger at evil is a person who lacks enthusiasm for good. If you cannot hate wrong, it\u2019s very questionable whether you really love righteousness. – Dr. David Seamands<\/p>\n
Source unknown<\/p>\n
Jesus and Anger <\/b><\/p>\n
Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and saw a man with a crippled hand. He knew that the Pharisees were watching to see what he would do, and he felt angry that they were only out to put him in the wrong. They did not care a scrap for the handicapped man, nor did they want to see the power and love of God brought to bear on him.<\/p>\n
There were other instances where Jesus showed anger or sternness. He \u201csternly charged\u201d the leper whom he had healed not to tell anyone about it (Mark 1:43) because he foresaw the problems of being pursued by a huge crowd of thoughtless people who were interested only in seeing miracles and not in his teaching. But the leper disobeyed and so made things very hard for Jesus.<\/p>\n
Jesus showed anger again when the disciples tried to send away the mothers and their children (Mark 10:13\u201316). He was indignant and distressed at the way the disciples were thwarting his loving purposes and giving the impression that he did not have time for ordinary people.<\/p>\n
He showed anger once more when he drove \u201cout those who sold and those who bought in the temple\u201d (Mark 11:15\u201317). God\u2019s house of prayer was being made into a den of thieves and God was not being glorified — hence Jesus\u2019 angry words and deeds. Commenting on this, Warfield wrote: \u201cA man who cannot be angry, cannot be merciful.\u201d The person who cannot be angry at things which thwart God\u2019s purposes and God\u2019s love toward people is living too far away from his fellow men ever to feel anything positive towards them.<\/p>\n
Finally, at Lazarus\u2019 grave Jesus showed not just sympathy and deep distress for the mourners (John 11:33\u201335), but also a sense of angry outrage at the monstrosity of death in God\u2019s world. This is the meaning of \u201cdeeply moved\u201d in John 11:38.<\/p>\n
Your Father Loves You, by James Packer, (Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986), page for December 29<\/p>\n
Resources<\/b><\/p>\n
\u2022 Unfinished Business, Charles Sell, Multnomah, 1989, p. 188ff<\/p>\n
\u2022 Counter Attack, Jay Carty, Multnomah Press, 1988, p. 41ff<\/p>\n
\u2022 Transformed by Thorns, p. 117<\/p>\n
\u2022 Swindoll, One Step Forward, p. 149ff<\/p>\n
\u2022 Swindoll, You and your Problems<\/p>\n
\u2022 C. Swindoll, Growing Strong, p. 332; Three Steps.., p. 149; under \u2019Problems\u2019 in file<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anger vs. Exasperation A father wanted to illustrate to his son the difference between \u201canger\u201d and \u201cexasperation.\u201d He looked up the phone number of a pompous fellow commuter whom he knew only by name and reputation, and he dialed the number. When the call was answered by the man, the father asked, \u201cIs Adolph there?\u201d … Continue reading “Anger”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}