A Fit of Anger

Q: I am in KUWAIT, I work in Warehouse, as a storekeeper, and suddenly new PALESTINIAN person assigned as a supervisor and who keep ordering, today i got blast with my anger and i could not control then i replied him saying NO, i will not listen what you said". He asked me to work more as an Over Time but i said i cannot work, My time is over i need to go Home but when he keep insisting in a rude way then i answered him NO, and we started to discuss and as we know discussion has no endings.but later when i came home, i pray to break my FAST, then i realized to ask an Apology, but when i asked him apology on phone, i told him that i was pressurized from my work and family matter he also said ITS OK i am also pressurized by manager he said we will have a meeting on sunday with MANAGER.then i felt if i did right by asking an apology? because anyhow he complained to manager...please answer me if i did right or wrong, and please tell me how to control my temper? please reply before Sunday ASAP.. thanks.. praise the lord (sic).

A: Thank you for your question. Of course, you did the right thing by apologizing to your Supervisor. The Bible says, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working (James 5:16)." Your actions are consistent with the scripture. You sinned against your supervisor by losing your temper because you were fearful of the effect working longer hours would have on you, but later realized you were wrong to do so and sought his forgiveness. He graciously accepted your apology and the opportunity to restore your relationship with each other presented itself. Your situation is a good example of how much God loves us in Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus Christ can be classified as the greatest act of love in history. Like you with your Supervisor, mankind had sinned against God and could no longer have a relationship with Him like we once enjoyed in the Garden of Eden. However, unlike your situation with your Supervisor, our sins required more than an apology. Our sins required death. Even worse is that no man has a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins. Our sins are so terrible that they required the death of God as payment. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was the only man who had a life to give that would satisfy God as payment for our sins.

The Apostle John speaks to the death of Jesus Christ and its meaning. "He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2)." Propitiation means to appease or make well disposed. God has been appeased and is no longer holding our sins against us because of the death of Jesus Christ. Therefore, God is now able to indwell each and every believer and restore His life to us and begin to have a relationship with us, and us with Him, that we were all created to experience. It is this recognition of God's love for us and His relationship with us that you displayed when you apologized to your Supervisor. ""In your anger do not sin:” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:26)." As Christians, we are not immune to the problems of the world. Furthermore, we are just as vulnerable to reacting to those problems in a sinful manner. When you reacted harshly to your Supervisor you were displaying your humanity. But, when you apologized to your Supervisor you were allowing the Lord to love him through you because you recognized how much God loves you in Christ.

As far as your Supervisor complaining to the Manager is concerned, that is to be expected. Your initial reaction to your Supervisor cannot be tolerated in a work environment. Insubordination can destroy a workplace if it is not addressed immediately and aggressively. Nobody can be certain as to what will be the outcome of your meeting on Sunday. But, rest assured that your situation is not bigger than God. Christians often make the mistake that our circumstances are a reflection of how God feels about us. And when one of the possible outcomes of our sinful behavior is to face disciplinary action we can equate that with God's judgment of our sins. No matter what happens on Sunday, God is with you regardless. He is not going to punish you for your sin because He has already judged the sins of the entire world. Remember "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19)." Your sins are not separating you from God. God is not going to punish you for your sins. What your sins do is get you focused on the Lord and why you were not trusting Him when you chose to sin. That, in no small part, is what led you to ask this question we are discussing today. Be encouraged by that because it is evidence of your faith in Jesus.

Along with reconciling with those we have sinned against, as you did with your manager, we also use those moments to remind us of God's grace and mercy. "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16)." Allow God to restore the knowledge of who you are in Christ and how God sees you because of your identity. Take heart that you are a forgiven, holy and blameless child of God. He will never leave you or forsake you. No one can predict what will be the outcome of your meeting on Sunday. Perhaps, the fact that you apologized to your Supervisor will be taken into consideration by the Manager and he will treat you more kindly. My prayer is that the words of Jesus Christ will comfort you in advance of your meeting. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27)." You acted in anger because you were afraid. Realizing that God loves you unconditionally should help you to avoid responding out of fear and losing your temper in the future. You have the peace of God because you have peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Take that with you into your meeting as well as your life. May God continue to reveal to you all the blessings you have been given through faith in Jesus Christ. Grace and Peace.