Anger in our Hearts

In this weeks Gospel text we hear Jesus speak about how anger without cause. (The words without cause are from the most ancient of texts). When we are angry in our hearts, we can easily hurt others - sometimes on purpose and sometimes not. The brokenness this creates between people is the underlying message of the scripture - and as people of faith, we seek to reconcile with one another as much as possible.

As we grow we learn it's not about being angry (which is natural!) but about what we do with our anger that really matters.

Check out some of the awesome posts on our pinterest this week with great ways to help your young folks cope in healthy ways with such a big emotion.

If you have time at home as a family - read this story about the little boy and the nails to help your family think about the consequences of our anger. Consider nailing some of your own nails into a spare piece of wood!

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there." The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said "I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you." "Of course I can," said the father.