Dealing With Anger Caused By People That Frustrate Us

Esther 3:5. All of us know people that frustrate us. In many cases these people are a cause for anger to flare up in us. People frustrate us because they are not doing what we expect of them or they are preventing us from accomplishing what we desire. The question is should anger be our reaction to being frustrated.

Anger is probably not the best reaction caused by being frustrated. For example, Haman in the Book of Esther was frustrated that Mordecai would not bow down to him (Esther 3:5, “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath”). Haman's frustration caused him to get extremely angry. In the end this anger so consumed him that it caused his demised.

Anger energizes us to action, but in most cases the purpose of our anger is wrong and it can cause us to do very bad things. This was the case with Haman. Mordecai was on the side of God. Haman acted totally in self-righteousness instead of seeking truth and acting with a godly purpose. His purpose was to keep and increase his power in the kingdom by any means possible. His motivations were wrong and his anger led him to act wrong. When people frustrate us, we need to step back, re-examine our purpose, and act in a manner that lines up with God's Word.

ESTHER BIBLE SCRIPTURE Esther 3:5, “And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath”