It's Okay to Be Angry

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.”— Ephesians 4:26–27 (ESV)

Anger isn’t always loud.

Sometimes it’s not shouting or slamming doors—it’s the tightness in your chest, the tension in your jaw, the weight you carry without words. It’s the emotion that builds quietly when we feel unheard, misunderstood, dismissed, or wounded.

Many of us were taught—directly or indirectly—that anger was wrong. That expressing it meant you were out of control or dangerous. And so, we learned to hold it in. To smile instead. To stay silent. But unexpressed anger doesn’t go away—it just buries itself deeper until it leaks out in other ways: irritation, bitterness, emotional disconnection, even physical symptoms.

But Scripture doesn’t say, “Don’t be angry.” It says, “Be angry and do not sin.” That’s a big difference.

Anger is a human emotion that God expects us to feel. It can be healthy. It can be holy. It can be the very thing that reveals injustice, inspires necessary boundaries, or uncovers wounds that still need healing. It becomes harmful only when we allow it to go unacknowledged, unprocessed, or uncontrolled.

Recently, I experienced this in a real way. I heard something that triggered an old emotional wound—something I hadn’t realized still lived beneath the surface. I didn’t explode. I didn’t raise my voice. I just felt a tightness in my chest and a heaviness I couldn’t quite name. It took some quiet reflection before I realized: I was angry. Not outwardly, but deeply. And if I didn’t find a way to express it in a healthy way, it was going to stay stuck.

I’ve started learning to release those emotions through movement & creativity—sometimes boxing, working out, singing a song, painting a picture, swimming, or hitting the tennis court until I can breathe again. They all have different ways of feeling and expressing. Other times, it means talking to God honestly, asking Him to help me understand where the anger is coming from and what it's pointing to underneath.

The truth is: anger doesn’t have to be explosive to be real. And it doesn’t have to be sinful to be felt. God doesn’t shame us for feeling angry. He invites us to bring it to Him—not to stuff it down, but to surrender it.

In His presence, we can process honestly. We can ask the deeper questions: What is this really about? What am I still healing from? What is this emotion trying to reveal?

God is big enough to handle all of our emotions—even the ones we’re still learning how to express. Anger included.

🙏 Prayer:

God, thank You for showing me that it's okay to have anger. Help me recognize anger when it rises, and continue to show me how to express it in healthy ways. As I bring my emotions to You, reveal to me where there are still wounds. Guide me toward healing and where there’s suppressed emotion, bring release. I trust You with my heart—even the messy parts. Amen.