I’ve never punched a hole in a wall. I’ve managed to avoid road rage even with a significant number of “idiot” drivers provoking me. My children are not scared of me unless they do something really bad. I have plenty of friends who seem to like me and will answer the phone when I call. Do I still need to attend the “Overcoming Anger” seminar?
This kind of question construes the “Overcoming Anger” seminar as a classic anger management class. I can promise you will not count to 10 and no one will be asked to go to their “happy place.”
Let me reframe the question.
We live in a broken world where legitimate desires often get disappointed. We live among fallen people who often offend us and, at least, frequently forget things that are important to us. In the midst of all this, how do we accurately represent the character of God, who has as one of His attributes, anger?
Anger is not an emotion we can “just not do.” Therefore, if we are going to accurately reflect the image of God, we must do anger well. But anger as an emotion with a lot of momentum and it easily runs away with us. This is why “Overcoming Anger” is such an important seminar for every person (whether we yell frequently or not).
ANGER EVALUATION
The document above is taken from the first section of the seminar and is a two page evaluation (with scoring explanation) that examines seven unique expressions of anger. I would encourage you to download and complete this evaluation to help you decide whether to attend.
If you take it and find that you have no struggle with anger and cannot think of anyone close to you who struggles in these ways, then stay home. Otherwise, I would encourage you to come, grow in your ability to manage this powerful emotion, and gain skills in guiding others towards the Gospel in their struggle with anger.