Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, May 27, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Be angry but do not sin. What a potent statement. So many of us are trained our whole lives to believe that anger is bad. Wrong. But as I’ve often said, anger is to the emotions as physical pain is to the body. Physical pain tells me there’s something that need to be fixed or healed in my body. Anger tells me there’s something that needs to be healed in my heart, mind, and spirit. It’s a good thing, so long as it doesn’t drive us blindly to hurt others, to “sin” as Paul might say.
As we’ve seen the widespread protests over police brutality and state-sponsored violence in the U.S. in the past year, anger has been a critical driving force. We should be angry! There’s every indication that something is terribly, terribly broken and must be healed. And the vast, vast majority of protesters have been angry without resorting to violence and/or causing harm to others.
Whether it’s in large, societal ways or small, personal ways, it’s okay to be angry. With God’s help, it can lead you to healing the underlying pain and moving forward.
Are there things I am angry about right now? Can I ask God to help me identify and address the underlying pain?
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