No Anger Stew For Me! -- part 1
We have all probably eaten stew at one time or another. We put meat and a variety of vegetables into a pot and let it simmer (or stew) for an extended time until it’s done. This dish is what cooks call a “stew.”
In the English language, the word “stew” is also used to describe anger. In this use, the dictionary defines “stew” as a state of being agitated or disturbed. For example:
He is “stewing” in his own juices.
She is “stewing” over an issue in her life.
In English we interestingly also use other cooking terms to describe our negative emotions.
- I’m steamed.
- He’s boiling mad.
- She’s brewing.
- Her mind is fried.
- I’m feeling like a pressure cooker.
Well the truth of the matter is that the devil’s goal is to push us into submitting to these negative emotions, to position us into an anger stew!
Mothers of Nations, I have decided that there will be No Anger Stew for me!
As we know that there are multiple ingredients in a recipe for creating a stew, what ingredients can we think of that could combine to create “anger stew?”
The emotion of anger is almost always triggered by a situation or a cue that sets off a negative thought in our mind. Let’s take a look now at some of those triggers that could start creating an anger stew in our lives.
First, what about injustice? Injustice is a violation of another’s rights. We see injustice and we respond, “That was unfair!” We can get upset and even angry when we feel we have been unjustly treated.
What about Cain and Abel? Genesis 4: 3-8
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Cain felt God had mistreated him, that he had experienced injustice and that this was not fair. He felt that God wasn’t on his side and he allowed himself to “stew” over these circumstances. And what was the outcome for Cain submitting to these emotions? He ate the “anger stew” and ended up killing his brother!
Cain experienced unmet expectations. He expected acceptance and felt that he was let down. He expected God to do what he thought was right and it didn’t happen the way he expected. The result? He ate the anger stew and then paid severe consequences.
Looking at another possible trigger that might be an ingredient to create anger stew in our lives, what about humiliation? Humiliation is causing someone to feel ashamed and foolish by injuring their dignity and self-respect. When we feel unfairly treated we can think we look foolish. We can get embarrassed in front of our peers, family, co-workers, employers, etc. And the result of yielding to this humiliation triggered emotions can easily start a pot of anger stew to boil in our lives.
Basically, humiliation harms and damages our personal self-worth. As an example, let's look at 1 Kings 22: 24-27.
24 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?” 25 And Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide!” 26 So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king: “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.”
In this passage we see that Micaiah embarrassed the King by publicly prophesying Ahab’s defeat in an upcoming war and the King didn’t want to hear the truth. The King responded in anger and had Micaiah thrown into prison and ordered him to be fed with the bread and water of affliction. We see that the King stewed because Micaiah wouldn’t yield to please people.
Another familiar example would be from the life of Bible character Naaman. Remember when leprous Naaman came to the prophet Elisha? Elisha told him to go wash in the Jordan River seven times. But that directive seemed humiliating to Naaman and his triggered pride threw him immediately into anger stew. 2 Kings 5: 8-14
8 So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Next week we will examine several other cues or triggers that have potential to stir our emotions and push us into anger stew. Have a blessed week and remember, no anger stew for me!
Dr. Sharon Predovich
