The non-violence life is what we see modeled in the person of Jesus. It is consistent in His teachings, life and example.

We have seen the way of Christ exemplified in His denial of self and humility. By way of self-abnegation we are able to make broad steps into a peaceable relationship with others.

Like the proclivity that we have towards elevating the self we also live in a society that propagates anger and rage. For the sake of brevity and staying on point, I will not belabor the prevalence of anger generating avenues of entertainment in our culture. That has been addressed in more detail and depth than I have time or interest to do at this point.
However, it must be noted that, among the plethora of violent video-games and splatter flicks, rage is in.
Couple that with this misguided notion that anger is something that must simply be managed and you have the recipe for violence run amok. I have encountered many people in counselling and pastoral sessions struggling with anger issues.

Jesus knew that anger full grown is murder. He warned us of the murderous seeds that we plant in our own hearts whenever we tap into anger. We saw it in the early days when Cain presented his bruised kumquats to the Lord and grew angry that God was more pleased with Abel’s first fruits. The progressive, insidious nature of anger mushroomed into violent actions in the heart of Cain.

To be non-violent then we must get a hold of our own anger. One of the greatest harbingers of the onset of anger in our society is an escalated sense of entitlement.
Anger often results when we feel that our rights have been violated. If someone comes between us and our ideas of what we deserve then our response is often of a volatile nature.
From a middle finger to the guy that impinges on our rights to navigate the interstates to a nasty email to the co-worker who robbed your right to a peaceful work day we often respond to life’s happenings as if our rights have been encroached and trampled on.

But what we must do is recognize that all that we have and possess (including our rights) ultimately belong to God. If all we have is truly His, then that must include our morality, our virtues, and our entitlements.
Therefore, if someone robs you of what you think is rightfully yours, they are ultimately robbing God. So it’s best to leave it in His hands.

To be non-violent then we must resist anger. We must not allow the seeds of violence to take residence in our hearts. Here are a few suggestions to defeat anger in your life:

1. Seek God’s release from the oppressive hand of rage and anger.
2. Understand that God is in control. What comes your way can be for your benefit.
3. Do an inventory and seek to understand how you may have contributed to the problem. Have you been lazy, negligent, mean, stubborn, inconsiderate or anything else that might have contributed to the current situation you find yourself in.
4. If so, repent and seek to make amends.
5. Ask what Fruit of the Spirit can be honed through these trials.
6. Seek out relationships with people who can have a calming influence.
7. Seek to remove stressors from your life. If you feel yourself more agitated after playing video games or watching violent movies, it’s time to get a new interest.
8. Develop a God-honoring course of action. How can you navigate through the situation
9. Be honest. Speak the truth in all dealings.
10. Deal with the problem. Anger delayed is anger amplified.
11. Journal your struggles with anger. Note the times, situations, and people that are prevalent when you are most likely to respond in a negative way. This will give you insight into situations to avoid, relationships to redeem and whether or not you act out when over-stimulated or tired.
12. In all things give yourself grace.

Non-violence begins with each individual humbling himself and seeking not to respond in anger to the every day situations of life.
As Christians it is up to us to model what that is like. We must not give vent to our anger. Nor must we ever seek to repay evil with evil.