mgpcpastor's blog

Ray Galea is an experienced pastor, and his words about dealing with personal anger ring true.
This article and the forthcoming part 2 are worth reading.
I’ll reference part 2 when it appears.
Pastors keep a lid on a lot of emotions, and the people who see the worst of us are usually those closest to us.

An excerpt from Galea’s deeply personal post:

Nowhere do I see the difference between God and me more clearly than in the area of anger. God’s anger springs from his righteous character and omniscient nature which has access to all the facts. He is the righteous judge, and his wrath is a measured, proportional and a just response to sin. Not so with my anger. My temper is largely based on conclusions drawn from limited information, driven by the protection of personal needs and insecurities, and fuelled by a self-righteous demanding spirit.
Moreover, while God is slow to anger, my wrath moves with the speed of a mousetrap slamming down on some unsuspecting fellow image bearer. Often it flares up so quickly that I am deceived into thinking that I have no choice. Or so I thought until a ‘miracle’ happened one day. I was in full flight one Saturday morning, angry about something trivial, when a knock at the door instantly changed my demeanour. I was at once transformed into a gentle loving pastor. Here was the evidence which I already knew from Scripture: I do have a choice, I am responsible, and I can change.

Read the rest at Gospel Coalition Australia.