April 21, 2021 (Wednesday)
This is the fourth of nine blogs on “Personal Problems in Life: Feelings of Anxiety, Loneliness, Depression, Anger, Guilt, Inferiority, Grief, Hostility, and Feelings Associated with Sickness.”
Anger is an emotion difficult to define. It begins with being hurt or frustrated, to which the initial response is anger. But that’s not usually the end of it. It proceeds to revenge, which hides the hurt and anger. The next step will either be destructive action, depression, or other psychological symptoms, followed by feelings of guilt. Whoa! It’s worse than we thought. But it can also be constructive if it motivates us to correct injustice or to think creatively.
Human anger is normal and not necessarily sinful. It is righteous when expressed against injustice, but sinful when we misinterpret situations, feel threatened, lose control and respond with vindictiveness and vengeance. Human anger can be harmful. Human anger can result from our distorted perceptions. But human anger can be controlled if we acknowledge it, restrain outbursts, avoid rumination and thoughts of revenge, confess and forsake sin if it has reached that point.
One of the worst problems in our present age is an angry mind-set by people. Right wing or left wing, both have this mind-set and it’s like a bomb within us set to go off when we hear an opinion opposite to our own. If we truly want to save our country, we will learn to control our anger and become peacemakers, blessed by the Lord.
TAKE MY LIFE AND LET IT BE
Words, Frances R. Havergal, 1874
Music, Henri A. C. Malan, 1827
Music, har. by Lowell Mason, 1841
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
*Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
…….and..
Texas Independence was won April 21, 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto, which is celebrated every year on this date.
In early April, Santa Anna made a fatal mistake: he divided his army in three. He left one part to guard his supply lines, sent another to try and catch the Texas Congress and set off in the third to try and mop up the last pockets of resistance, most notably Sam Houston’s army of some 900 men. Houston caught up to Santa Anna at the San Jacinto River and for two days the armies skirmished. Then, on the afternoon of April 21, Houston attacked suddenly and ferociously. The Mexicans were routed. Santa Anna was captured alive and signed several papers recognizing Texas independence and ordering his generals out of the territory. Although Mexico would try to re-take Texas in the future, San Jacinto essentially sealed Texas’ independence.
