By Erin Davis
I’m an angry mom.
That’s the confession I made several months ago on Focus on the Family. You can hear the audio of me fessing up to my mom anger here.
I’m not proud of my tendency to loose my cool in front of my kids. In fact, I hate how quickly and how often I find myself seething with anger toward them. But even though I hate that side of me, my tendency is to brush it off, justify it, or act like blowing my top is just an occupational hazard of my job as a mom.
The reality is that the Bible paints anger in a much harsher light. If you’re an angry mom too, join me for a moment in checking out what God’s Word has to say about our frustration.
“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” Psalm 37:8.
“For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife” Proverbs 30:33.
“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools” Ecclesiastes 7:9.
“[Love]…is not easily angered” 1 Corinthians 13:5.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger” Ephesians 4:31.
This is not the breadth of God’s teaching to us on anger in His Word. There is much, much more written between Genesis and Revelation about the subject, but it all basically boils down to this sentiment.
If you feel like getting angry…don’t.
Anger leads to evil. It produces strife. It is the calling card of the foolish. It is the antidote to love. If anger exists in our lives, God wants us to get rid of it.
There is no other arena of my life where I need to be reminded of these truths more than as I mother. My kiddos push my buttons. They make me mad. There are moments in every single day where I want to respond to them with anger.
But the Bible tells me not to, not because there aren’t some legitimate reasons to be ticked as mothers, but because anger won’t get me and my family anywhere pleasant.
As I seek to be a less angry mom, I must hold on tightly to these verses and ask God to replace my anger with the Fruit of His Holy Spirit.
How about you? Are you an angry mom? What do you do to combat that anger? What specific verses do you run to to counsel your heart toward calmer mothering?
ERIN DAVIS is the founder of Graffiti Ministries, an organization dedicated to addressing the issues of identity, worth, and true beauty in the lives of young women. She is the author of Beyond Bath Time, which addresses the importance of motherhood as a sacred role. A popular speaker, author and blogger, Erin has addressed women of all ages nationwide and written several books including Beyond Bath Time, Graffiti: Learning to See the Art in Ourselves, True Princess, and The Bare Facts, co-written with Josh McDowell. Her quest for the perfect scoop of ice cream is never ending and her children Eli, Noble, and Judah are her constant source of entertainment.