We are about halfway through with our book discussion on White Heart.  I hope you are enjoying it.  Get your friends gathered around this book and these questions. Let’s have a vibrating discussion.

This week we are going to be getting to know the two male characters who play a significant role in Madeleine’s life: Robert LaSalle and Tonato.In Chapter 13, we meet Robert. Characters in White Heart  describe LaSalle as a man who shows confidence, always seems to have a purpose, and is passionate about his goals.  But people also use these phrases about him:   “a man who is never satisfied. . .  who is radical in his thinking. . .a rule breaker.  . . . prideful and cold. . . . distant and afraid of intimacy.”Here we see LaSalle rage at Midnight, the puppy, for chewing up the edges of the man’s map.  We found LaSalle walking out of a church, dragging Madeleine with him, because his priest’s criticism.LaSalle has an anger problem.  And there were no anger management classes up and running in Montreal in 1674.He also appeared to have a problem with pride and self-protection.Madeleine made some effort to talk to Robert about his outburst atMidnight, but she was interrupted. Do you think that she will succeed in talking to him about his anger?  Do you agree that LaSalle seems proudful?  If he is full of pride, how will that effect his anger?

Author’s Tidbit:

Anger is one emotion that draws people into therapy. Parents bring in their defiant children. Wives beg their verbally abusive spouses to go for counseling. Men slip in asking for help with their temper. And judges mandate clients for therapy if there is evidence of domestic violence.

 So here are five key points on dealing with your own anger.

 1.  Recognize your anger.  It will come out in physical mannerisms such as slamming fists, grinding teeth, glaring eyes, raising your voice, clenching your muscles.  Anger will also come out in personality traits, such as impatience, irritability, attitudes of superiority and name-calling.

2.  Take responsibility for your anger.  Don’t shift the blame, and say “Midnight made me do it.”  Know how you impact others.  Talk to them about how you behave towards them.  Ask them about their perceptions of you.

3.  Identify the source of your anger.  Most anger has one or more root causes. Past hurts, a sense of having been unjustly treated, or unresolved guilt are just a few hidden causes.  Anger often grows within your soul as a result of irrational perceptions or faulty beliefs.  Get to know yourself at a deep level.  Answer the question: what is at the root of my anger? 

4.  Take control of your anger.  To do that you need to change the above mannerisms, thought patterns and belief systems.  Work towards healing the past hurts, so the anger doesn’t simmer all the rest of your life and ruin your relationships.  Find out the root causes, and realize that your emotions are like an onion.  Peel one layer off and another is there is deal with.  Usually we have multiple hurts with which we struggle.  Seek professional help.

5.  Turn your anger over to God.  God created you.  He loves you.  He can heal you from your hurts and empower you to change. Being humble enough to admit a weaknesses and change is an action most of us can’t do without divine help.  Take God’s advice: don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. 

Up Next: Wednesday's blog post on Chapter 14!

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