And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 What makes you mad? Many years ago, a radio commercial featured two gentlemen discussing what makes them angry. One would say something like: "What about when you forget to take your umbrella and then it rains, does that make you mad?"
"No, that doesn't make me mad."
"What about when someone is late for an appointment? Does that make you mad?"
"No, that doesn't make me mad."
The dialogue would continue until the punchline: "What about when you buy a car and then find out you could have saved hundreds of dollars?"
The answer: "Now that makes me mad!" Then the commercial would extol the virtues of the sponsoring automobile dealership.
I was reminded of that commercial when I read an article by Melvin Maddocks entitled "The New Angries." In the article Mr. Maddocks says: "But now, everybody--and I do mean everybody--is as mad as you-know-what and simply won't take it any more, least of all from one another." He adds, "If the '90s become the decade of anger, as the '80s became the decade of greed, it will not be because of violent and visible militants. It will be because of the New Angries." Maddocks goes on to explain that these are people who equate anger with honesty, and they see a full and free expression of wrath as the means to mental and physical health.
And what makes people angry? Everything from traffic jams to interpersonal conflicts. Maddocks sees this as a very unhealthy trend because anger can be destructive--to health, relationships, and institutions.
I agree, and I am concerned about the anger in our society. And we all are terribly aware of it when it explodes in the news--the worker who kills his employer, the person who shoots someone on the freeway, the increasing incidents of spousal and child abuse.
Anger is a destructive fire.
Of course not all anger is wrong. The Bible says, "Don't sin by letting anger control you," and Jesus expressed anger at the hypocritical Pharisees and the moneychangers in the Temple. The issue is, as the commercial said, what makes us mad? Clearly there is a place for what theologians call "righteous indignation." We should be angry about sin and injustice in the world. And our anger should motivate us to action, to make things right.
But too often, I'm afraid, we lose our temper over things that are small, insignificant, and inconsequential: traffic, slow-moving check-out lines, trampled grass, noisy children, poor service.
What makes you mad? Don't waste your energy yelling and honking your horn at the guy who just cut you off. Rather, focus your emotions and time on what is truly important. Ask God to help you control your temper and to exercise love instead.
