When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an idol, something you are actually worshiping. When such a thing is threatened, your anger is absolute. Your anger is actually the way the idol keeps you in its service, in its chains. Therefore if you find that, despite all the efforts to forgive, your anger and bitterness cannot subside, you may need to look deeper and ask, What am I defending? What is so important that I cannot live without? It may be that, until some inordinate desire is identified and confronted, you will not be able to master your anger.

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About Timothy J. Keller

Timothy J. Keller was a 20th-century American pastor and theologian. Timothy James Keller was an American Presbyterian pastor, Reformed theologian, and Christian apologist. He was the chairman and co-founder of Redeemer City to City, which trains pastors for service around the world. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Anger — Managing emotion, frustration, and the fires within
  • Happiness — Thoughts on finding joy, contentment, and fulfilment

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