Anger
/You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. -James 1:19
Anger is all the rage right now, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Think about how many expressions of anger you have read about in today’s paper or heard on today’s news - or even seen expressed randomly through a truck’s hostile bumper sticker, spewing generalized anger toward anyone unlucky enough to drive behind it.
Anger can be an extremely helpful emotion and is a gift from God for good reason. It helps us understand when we have been violated, when someone has suffered an injustice. It can also spur us to finally make a difficult but important change in ourselves or in our lives. There is nothing wrong with anger.
However, like all things, it can get out of balance. Anger can be used as a weapon against others. It can be used as a kind of armor to keep us from looking at our own pain. It can often lash out thoughtlessly, hurting relationships. It can deeply bruise a young soul. It can lead to violence in thought, word and deed.
James’ good advice is just what we need right now. He’s not saying we should never be angry. He’s saying we need to listen more than we speak or judge and be slow to anger. Don’t just jump into frustration, annoyance and anger first without thinking. I used to tell my children when they lashed out in anger that they could be angry and think at the same time. I think that is what James is trying to say.
What if everyone in our country right now counted to ten before speaking a strong opinion? What if instead of arming ourselves to the teeth with guns and data we risked listening to the ones who anger us? What if we all sought to discover the wounds and pains in others that cause them to think or act the way they do instead of instantly assigning nefarious motives? What if we just committed to being more slow to anger as a nation?
Anger can spur us to seek God’s justice, but it is not righteousness in itself. Just because a certain issue gets you fired up doesn’t necessarily mean you’re right! It is very easy for us to deceive our own hearts when we feel someone else is at fault. James is asking his readers to bridle our tongues and to get up and do things that contribute to the greater good, instead of just talking about what good things others should be doing.
When temperatures rise, James reminds us that God’s truth is found not in you, nor in me, but in the listening we create between us.
