Day #2

What I find so fascinating about anger is that although people agree with the idea that anger never helps they still frequently get angry. Aside from some urban youths I was in a Bible study with once who said getting/staying angry at a girl will make her sleep with you, I've never heard anyone sing the praises of anger. Sad/true story, by the way. I'm going to allow for the exception (that's not really anger anyways, it's just pretending to be angry) and move on with the rule.

So most people would agree that anger never helps. But most of us still get angry. I'll be the first to say that I am (angry) Spartacus on this one. And what bothers me is that I rarely feel bad about getting angry. It's much more likely that I will feel justified when I get angry. How often do I get angry at what someone else did to me and then feel this overwhelming need to tell someone else about it? I can't let go until at least two or three other people have commiserated with me over whatever grave injustice was done to me.

I've been wronged. I've been offended. I don't deserve this. How dare they do this to me!

I often wonder what the source is of this (self) righteous indignation. I'd say it has a lot to do with the parenthetical word in that last sentence. Me.

Consider the Christian's classic defense of anger: Jesus in the temple. He too was indignant! He was RIGHTEOUSLY indignant! We emphasize righteous as if there is some secret to getting angry in a Christian way. And we believe the secret is that as long as we don't allow our anger to get out of control, we're justified in our anger. If you feel like it is under control, then you can do whatever you want - even make a whip out of cords and chase people around with it at church! You can go all hulk smash on the fellowship hall tables as long as you keep it under control.

Controlled rage is not the secret. The secret is us.

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
- Philippians 3:7-11

Who knew this inspiring passage could be practically applied to life in relevant ways?

There are far too many things that I consider gain at the expense of Christ. Those are the things that make me angry. MY time. MY money. MY rights. MY driving space on the road.

I'm too concerned with how these things might BE my profit that I am unwilling to consider them rubbish that I might gain Christ. Otherwise, I would be practicing HIS redeemed time, stewarding HIS money, denying MY rights for the sake of HIS kingdom, and who cares about all other insignificant things?!?!?!?

I believe the secret is that rather than dealing with anger and trying to justify its place in the kingdom, we should be trying to give away whatever might be the source of that anger. Or, in another sense, we should be denying any appearance of self-righteousness (and subsequent indignation and anger) and seeking the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.