“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11)
Are we being hypocritical when we “pretend” that something doesn’t bother us, when it does?
There are times when it is very wise that we take our heart, with all its struggles, to the only One who can guide it aright. A situation may not be right in our eyes, the actions of another may be hurtful, but we need time to fashion a godly response. While anger arises immediately, the expression of our anger must be slow, deliberate, and God permitted.
On the outside, we may appear unruffled, others may have no clue that we are inwardly upset, and that may be all for the best. For should we start talking to others before God is finished talking to us we will only reveal our wrath. This is why God wants us to commune with Him when something agitates us. He does not fault us for becoming angry; He faults us for going to man with our anger before taking it to Him.
In converse with Him, God may say to us as He said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry?” Yes, sometimes He calls into question the very validity of our anger. He deems it “without cause” or disproportionate. Other times, He completely relates to our anger and asks us if we are willing to know Him in the fellowship of His sufferings through the experience. And then there are times when He would teach us how to properly resolve conflict, instead of resorting back to the knee-jerk and unproductive patterns of our past.
No, we are not putting on a good act when we don’t show the way we are presently feeling. We are being wise enough to bring our heart to our God. We are using the occasion of anger to commune with Him. And when we have had a good, long sit-down with our Wonderful Counselor we are ready to get up and meet the world with the heart our God has formed in us.