Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
My problem with Rhoberta's psychology when she points to "understanding" the roots of anger/rage as a route to healing is that it cannot produce freedom from your bondage. (I know this because I knew the emotional and spiritual roots of my rage for the full 25 years that I struggled with my it and that understanding didn't help me one bit.
Only knowing "truth" can set you free.
Understanding our past pain's roots doesn't produce truth or "freedom" from the pain.
Only the truth that Jesus talks about at http://is.gd/NwDqOu can do that.
gfp
I taught "anger management techniques" and knowing tips like this S-M-A-R-TTip didn't help me:
"Relationships can only thrive when one party, at least, knows how to back off!" (Rhoberta is more blunt in her Esstenial #1 when she says: "Shut your mouth!")
But, bluntness in my teaching wasn't the lack!
Teaching "techniques" rather than "spiritual truth" was! Here's truth http://diigo.com/0jiqa .
gfp
one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves
We have to learn to manage incoming anger, too.
you may not have any boundaries
Anger is healthy. It is natural. It is a gift of perception, experience and biology
Anger is one of the most powerful emotions and the most challenging one to manage for most people. Some of us can't "manage" it ...at all. At best, some of us can ONLY moderate our reaction to our amygdala's response to our perception of a violation of our so-called rights.
That's why Essential #1 is so crucial. (I know because I fought a losing battle with anger/rage for over 25 years until recently when I re-discovered a truth that I had forgotten as a Jesus Follower. Yeh! We're NOT perfect ...just saved as someone said.)
You may enjoy my Tweet for 2011-08-27 apropos Essential #1:
"A relationship can only thrive when at least one party knows when to back off!" ~ gfp '42™
gfp
Essential #1 in this article is so crucial. (I know because I fought a losing battle with anger/rage for over 25 years until recently. I have now re-discovered a truth that I had forgotten as a Jesus Follower. Yeh! We're NOT perfect ...just saved as someone said.) gfp