Fear, anger, and unbelief.

John 14:1,27. NASB95.

1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Several years ago, one of our pastors spoke about the closeness of fear and anger. Physiologically, the reactions are similar in terms of the brain centers involved and the hormones released. A startled (and therefore fearful) animal will bite, growl, or otherwise attack. Some of us tend to respond to fear inducing situations with anxiety, others with anger.

My mother and my father-in-law are both old, frail, getting more and more vulnerable. In recent phone conversations, they lurched from anger to fear and back again, repeatedly. As they have gotten older, the ability to mask the emotions has broken down, as has the wall between anger and fear.

This has caused me to look at my own “anger triggers” and “hot buttons.” When I have a flash of anger, under that anger, or with that anger, is fear. The fear is proportional to the anger. The unbelief under that fear is proportional to the fear and anger.

Asking myself, “What am I afraid of?” is merely repenting from the sin (or “falling short”). Asking myself, “Where is my unbelief?” is still merely repenting from the sin. They are necessary questions. However, both questions keep my focus on me and my falling short. They are stepping stones to repenting (turning) to Jesus. I need to ask Jesus to “help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). I need to ask Jesus to soften my hardened heart (Mark 16:13-14). I need His grace, His forgiveness, His hope.

I need to follow the full trail from the anger to the fear, from the fear to the unbelief, from the unbelief to believing in Jesus.