An Argument for Angry

A Piece of Chocolate Week 22 An Argument for Angry Recently something happened to me that made me really angry. I mean, the kind of anger that results in a terrible headache, a furrowed forehead, and the need to just say “AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! LEAVE ME ALONE! I‘M GOING TO GET A PEDICURE!!” Ya know what I mean? If you’ve ever seen the movie The First Wives Club, you’ll remember the scene where the meek and mild Diane Keaton completely lost her composure when her therapist gave her a blow-up bat to take out her aggression on the therapist, and she ended up beating the snot out of that poor woman…or something like that. I’m sorry to get so “mainstream” but her fit was exactly what I wanted to do. I’m not a “brooder”. I have a short fuse with people- when ill intent is the primary goal. However, I get over offenses very quickly…most of the time. Anger. Is it ok to be angry? Is it part of a healthy expression? Does the Bible have anything to say about being royally ticked off? Why yes, it does! My pastor from California said that there are two kinds of anger. Righteous anger and selfish anger. Selfish anger is the kind where someone cuts you off in traffic and in return you hug their bumper for as long as you want so that you can feel better. Righteous anger is a kind of anger that is based off of love. Let’s go to Deuteronomy 9:7-29. Moses was talking to the Israelites that had been led out of Egypt. He was basically reminding them not to screw up again. See, Moses was up on Mt. Sinai with the Lord receiving the ten commandments. All the while, almost everyone else, (thinking that Moses had died), decided to make a calf out of gold so that they could have their own god to worship. Obviously God was outrageously angered. He wanted to wipe his chosen people out…completely. His anger was righteous! His people chose to serve another, instead of him! God’s anger was motivated by his great love for his people and their continual crummy choices. There are other stories in the Bible that show us a healthy picture of anger. Get this, all of the instances of his anger were in direct proportion to his love. Examples to look at include the story of Noah, when Jesus was in the temple-turned shopping network, the ten plagues, and the story of Job. God shows his love for you and me (sometimes), thorough his anger. He is our Abba Father. Yes, it is ok to be angry. Is anger part of a healthy expression? Absolutely! Studies have shown that people who can share feelings of anger actually live longer. That doesn’t give us the go ahead to be angry all of the time. Likewise, people who are “slow cookers” that eventually blow up, as well as those who never forgive, are more likely to have high blood pressure and are at increased risk of heart disease. So girls, if you are going through a season of anger, it's ok! Just check your motive and know "that as high as the heavens above, so great is the measure of thy father's love" is for you and me. Be encouraged, you're never alone. Tell the Lord about your problems and then call a friend who will love you and pray for you. God bless all of you. Love, Dede