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Listen:
“Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
—EPHESIANS 4:26 (NRSVUE)
Reflect:
I heard of a guy who keeps a sign on his desk that says, “stay angry,” which I find both hilarious and very helpful. However, the suggestion that we “stay angry” might feel alarming given our culture’s desire to name anger as “bad.” But anger has maybe saved a life a time or two, like when hospitals or insurance agencies kept ignoring us. It has kept me from giving into unfair expectations of me a couple of times. Anger lets us know when a boundary has been crossed. Anger responds to injustice and to grief, telling us the world is not as it should be. Perhaps anger isn’t negative, it’s just information that tells us that something is not right and maybe it is time to act. So, if you’re like me and you need a little anger, then how about this for encouragement: stay angry, my friends. And remember the scripture above…
Blessing:
Blessed are you who feel things big.
You who might feel embarrassment because of how overwhelming things can be.
Blessed are you who need reminders
that emotions are not bad or good.
They are just...information.
You feel angry because this is unjust.
You feel sad because this is awful.
You feel tired because this is exhausting.
Your emotions are not wrong or bad or lying to you
or telling the full truth.
They are giving you a bit of data that you shouldn’t ignore.
We love, and lose, and fall, and get back up,
and fail and try again.
Your humanity is not an affront.
We are reminding ourselves that this is how we’re made:
to feel pain, grief, stress, risk, fear, and heartbreak.
So, you beautiful creature,
here is your permission to feel big.
To feel joy and delight and excitement.
And sorrow and fear and despair.
Feel it all!
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