Whenever I allow anything but tenderness and compassion to dictate my response to life–be it self-righteous anger, moralizing, defensiveness, the pressing need to change others…I am alienated from my true self. My identity as Abba’s child [a child of God] becomes ambiguous, tentative and confused.
~Brennan Manning
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
~ paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Ephesians 4
Oh beloved, it is true.
There is within each of us, a cauldron. And from it can flow some of the very worst kind of stuff. We must learn to guard against these outbursts to the greatest extent possible. For, as one famous writer has said, “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
However, G_d never puts something in a man that He does not want him to have. Anger is one of these things. He Loves that we are who we are. And, He Loves the power that this anger gives us when we allow Him to direct it in the right way.
But what is that way?
We are to be angry, and do not sin.
How do we know the difference?
Can we see it?
The passage above does give us the insight that we need. Notice, in all of the examples that Paul gives, the answer is to be and do something that is oriented towards bringing good to others. And so, this to gives us the answer as to where anger can be OK.
Lying sucks life out of relationships. Truth becomes a currency for friendship.
Ongoing anger is a haven for demons. Truth spoken strongly can bring freedom.
Thievery demotes the value of our neighbor. But honest work raises the standard of living for all.
Corrupting talk corrodes a friendship. But encouraging a companion fills his heart.
Pushing the Holy Spirit out of our decisions brings death. Allowing Him to have His way gives Him the ability to get a return on Christ’s payment for us.
Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander and malice must be put away. Otherwise there is no space for forgiveness to flow to us, and through us.
So, are you angry that someone is not doing good for you? Or, are you angry because someone else is not getting what they need? The question is vital.
Tonight is your night. Time to allow our anger to build people up, rather than tearing them down.
Are you angry? Be angry at your sins, beat your soul, afflict your conscience, but strict in judgement and a terrible punisher of your own sins. This is the benefit of anger, wherefore God placed it in us.
~St. John Chrysostom
