The IEDs I’m referring to are not those nasty homemade bombs that terrorists make called Improvised Explosive Devices. Instead, I’m talking about a recent diagnosis called Intermittent Explosive Disorder. It includes what we commonly call Road Rage.
We have all witnessed someone using foul language and obscene hand jesters as they yelled and screamed out the car window at another driver. Maybe some of my readers have been guilty of that kind of thing. Is that kind of anger wrong, or could it just be a medical condition?
According to the US National Institute of Mental Health (as reported in a December 2013 article in HealthDay), about 16 million Americans suffer from Intermittent Explosive Disorder. In other words, a lot of us are losing our tempers.
Yup, a pill for road rage may not be far away. Dr. Emil Coccaro, professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, wants to find out if anti-inflammatory medicines (no pun intended!) will reduce IED behavior.
An Associated Press article from June 6th of 2006 entitled ‘Road Rage’ gets a medical diagnosis quoted a psychiatrist who said, “People think it’s bad behavior and that you just need an attitude adjustment, but what they don’t know… is that there’s a biology and cognitive science to this.” Are the experts really calling Road Rage, Intermittent Explosive Disorder? What? So, if we have a fancy name for anger, is it no longer my fault when I lose my temper? Many would like to think so.
There is one expert who we almost never consult when it comes to understanding our behavior. Let’s turn for a moment and ask our Creator what He thinks about our anger. After all, His opinion is important because when this life is over, He is the One we’ll answer to.
Let’s pause for a moment and ask God what He says about IED. I know His opinion may not be popular, but God calls angry people fools. He says that, “anger resides in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9) and “A quick-tempered man acts foolishly” (Proverbs 14:17). The Bible explains that “outbursts of anger” come from our sinful nature (Galatians 5:19-20).
God tells Christians to put off their our old sinful ways, which includes angry outbursts, and then to, “put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:24). That isn’t easy, but it can be done when a person comes to know Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we “can do all things through Him who strengthens Anger is usually triggered when someone or something interferes with what we want. Most of our anger would melt away if we truly made knowing God our primary desire, because He can never be taken away from us or fail us.“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; if you remove unrighteousness . . . . For then you will delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God” (Job 22:23,26). Anger is usually just pure selfishness (not a medical disorder!), but submitting our lives to God brings wonderful peace. Paul is a good example. He had a lot to be angry about when he wrote his letter to the Philippians. He was in a Roman prison for something he didn’t do, and he knew that an insane tyrant, Nero, would decide his fate. Notice how calm Paul was during a very frustrating time in his life: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7). If you have surrendered your life to the Lord, and have accepted His offer of complete and full forgiveness, then you too can have a peace that calms life’s disappointments. “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock” (Isaiah 26:3–4). If you need help, remember that Juniata has a support group for growing and learning Christians right here in our own neighborhood. It is called Bethel Chapel Church on “K” and Lycoming Streets. We study the Bible, learn what it says and how to apply it to our everyday lives. We encourage each other and love each other and watch each other grow in the faith. Like the grace of God, our support group is free to all who want it. We have the cure for IED. It isn’t a pill. It’s a Book. Some people call it The Good Book. If you aren’t meeting with believers regularly, I hope to see you at 11:00 a.m. some Sunday soon.
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