When It’s Not Good to Look the Other Way

There is a festering anger across the world. The images of embassies burning, signs in the streets and shouting masses make us shudder. Here in America, we are more civilized, but no less angry. We take to the airwaves and gather around water coolers and get behind the wheels of our cars to express our our frustrations.

We are angry at government, angry at employers and angry at the economy.
At personal levels, we express similar dissatisfaction with coworkers, neighbors and family members.

There is a time to be angry. If we aren’t moved enough to be emotional at the evil in life, we won’t be moved enough to do righteousness. At times, we need to be shaken to the core with indignation. Anger motivates us to right things, to act. We will never run from persistent sin in our lives, until we get angry enough to start making changes.

But righteous anger is parceled out in very small portions because we simply do not know how to use it properly. Just look at holy wars, forced conversions, and abortion clinic bombings. We see anger on both sides of the presidential race — and there’s little righteousness in it.

Is is possible that we aren’t angry enough? Do we let the innocence of little boys and girls be stolen from right in front of us? Do we allow the thief come and destroy our families, our marriages and our honor? Do we simple look away when the things that are most precious to us slip away, simply because we are passive?

God, help me be angry about the right things and help me to let go of unrighteous anger.

Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back — in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.” – Fredrick Buechner

Do you need a little more anger in your life? Or do you swing to the other side?