BY DAWN REED

We are studying about anger in Sunday School. So, we made volcanoes.

Stirring flour, salt and warm water together, we kneaded the dough, then shaped it around cans to make volcano shapes. This Sunday we plan to paint them.

I never made a volcano in school. Neither did my kids – even for a science project. When my High School class told me a few weeks ago they had not made them, I felt sure we could work them in… somehow.

We study God’s Word each week and then throw in some fun, making slime, painting rats gold and such, playing games. Everything absolutely has to be connected to God’s Word.

Searching and praying for the right Bible story or Scripture, I landed on James 1:19-20 (NIV).

Verse 19 says: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” That makes total sense. There is a reason we have two ears and only one mouth. Verse 20 begins with because. “Because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

“Because” is a bridge word, a conjunction. It connects one part of a sentence to another, giving the reason why. We do not touch a hot stove because we will get burned. We do not run into traffic because we will get hit by a car. We do not drink or do drugs because it will make us do stupid stuff. We should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry because anger can make us say hurtful words, do dumb things, and blow up like a volcano.

Paul wrote from prison, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold,” Ephesians 4:26-27. Paul brought some experience to the table.

We have lots of choices for Bible lessons on anger. King Saul is a poster boy for what not to do. Jonah is another. He was mad at the Ninevites, then angry when his shady plant died. Do not get me started on Sarai. In Luke 9, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven because they were upset on Jesus’ behalf. I get it. Been there myself.

In class, we talked about what makes us angry and how to deal with it. Listing many frustrations on the board made it easy to see how they could all work against each other, bringing us to an erupting point. We agreed that saying everything in the moment can lead to regret and more problems.

God made us emotional creatures. We need to know how to process and respond to our feelings. Immediate prayer, slow breathing, walking away, saying Bible verses and counting to 10 (or 100) are just a few ways to relieve frustration. I admitted that even though I am extremely old (to them), I still have to work on dealing with anger, what to say and what not to say. I confessed that I’m still working on my facial expressions. (It was easier during COVID when I wore a mask full-time.)

This Sunday, our lesson is “I’m so mad I could punch something.” It’s about Moses striking the rock in Numbers 20. We will add paint to our salt dough.

Do you have anger issues? Holding it in can harm your mind and body. Exploding emotions rarely bring out the best in any situation. Take – or drag – your trouble to the Lord. He can help you with it.