A Time You Were Angry, and What You Did with That Anger

There was a day I slammed a door.

Not at a child — I had the presence of mind for that. But still, I slammed it.

I was mad. Frustrated. Completely drained.

He had destroyed something I cared about — again.

Not by accident, but out of spite.

And I remember thinking, “I’m trying so hard. Why does it feel like I’m losing?”

Anger in foster care is real.

It’s not evil — it’s an alert.

It tells you that something matters. That a boundary’s been crossed. That your heart’s involved.

But what you do with it — that’s where it gets holy.

That day, I went into the garage, got in my car and went for a drive.

And then I prayed: “God, help me not return fire with fire.”

Later, I came back, sat down, and said,

“I’m not going anywhere. But that hurt me. And we’re going to work through it.”

That conversation didn’t fix everything.

But it built something: trust, safety, accountability.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do as a dad is take a breath… and invite Jesus into your anger before your words ever come out.