Addiction to anger, throw people under the bus versus developing a love for people by finding out ways to help them grow

1 Corinthians13:4-7 how our anger can be tempered as we practice these words: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts always hopes, always perseveres.

I struggle with watching this political season unfold because it, unfortunately, brings out the worse in people; especially people addicted to anger. If one were to step back and take a candid look at their lives from God's vantage point (after all He sees everything) I think one will notice that this wasn't the first time their anger was displayed. 

For many of us, our anger becomes a learned lifestyle. that leaves victims in its wake. It is as though we are driving a car with a plow on the end hitting every person on the road and looking in the rear view mirror and sarcastically laughing at the  bodies left in their wake.   Our unchecked anger can have serious repercussions on our health.

One researcher found that Emotions such as anger and hostility ramp up your "fight or flight” response. When that happens, stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, speed up your heart rate and breathing.You get a burst of energy. Your blood vessels tighten. Your blood pressure soars.
You’re ready to run for your life or fight an enemy. If this happens often, it causes wear and tear on your artery walls. This is fine if you are fighting, but what if this fight or flight response occurs in everyday 'normal' situations?


In another study, they found long-term damaging effects from anger:In the long run, and sometimes even the short term, however, this automatic response to anger can weaken your immune system and lead to a variety of health problems such as:

Headaches
Problems with digestion
Insomnia
Increased anxiety
Depression
High blood pressure
Skin problems, such as eczema
Heart attack
Stroke

Toxic emotions can have devastating effects on people in the long run. This link offers up ways that will help you process those emotions so anger doesn't get the best of you.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-cynthia-thaik/emotional-wellness_b_4612392.html

In another study, this researcher found the following: Anger can shorten your life. Is it really true that happy people live longer? “Stress is very tightly linked to general health. If you're stressed and angry, you'll shorten your lifespan,” says Fristad. A University of Michigan study done over a 17-year period found that couples who hold in their anger have a shorter life span than those who readily say when they're mad.

Another researcher offers these steps to help you change your response to anger:Change the thoughts, physical responses, and actions that fuel your anger. Look for warning signs that your anger is building. Do you feel tense? Are you talking louder and faster? When you feel anger   taking over, calm yourself by:

t
talking slowly

slowing your breathing 

getting a drink of water
sitting down
leaning back
quieting yourself. Silence is golden in these situations.


Probably there is no greater example of our anger response than when we enter a tragic loss. Our bodies go into the 'fight or flight ' response where the cortisone levels increase and stay elevated; this alone will cause irreparable damage to our heart and our immune system if we do not process  those emotions.

 Regardless of how our loved one dies, we have to successfully navigate our own grief, or we will likely see a much shorter lifespan than what was projected for us before our loss.

I am reminded of 1 Corinthians13:4-7 how our anger can be tempered as we practice these words: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts always hopes, always perseveres.

Anger isn't completely wrong. Sometimes, our anger can propel us to take on a cause, spur us into action, or rally support for our candidate, but if  we allow anger to take root in our hearts to keep us in the 'fight or flight' response that can be deadly for us.

Jesus really does have a better way at helping us recover from grief.