Tuesday, 11 June, 2002

The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.



ANGER

The anger of God speaks the truth. No matter how "nice" we think we are, or morally in the right, our hands, too, are full of blood; we do not exist as little kingdoms apart from our human societies full of murder, thievery, cheating, whole systems of oppression. I have come to have a certain level of trust in God's anger; it is a response to what is genuinely wrong... But human anger can never be as simply and essentially righteous as God's anger; in us, even well-placed anger all too easily becomes mean and self-serving. It can cause us to lose both our focus and our balance... Now that I appreciate God's anger more, I find that I trust my own much less. I am increasingly aware of its inconsistencies, its tendency to serve primarily as a mask for my fears. If I can remember this when I am tempted to anger, I am less likely to inflict my rage on others.

This is another reason why we need others. Too often, I cannot see my own rage and anger. It can be so familiar to me it goes unnoticed. Then again, it can take me so long to catch myself in the midst of my own anger that I have given myself ample opportunity to justify my anger and wrath. My anger divides. God's anger serves to unite and build up the connections between one another. God's anger seems to be a teaching and merciful anger that grabs our attention for the sake of grabbing our hearts and turning us to acts of loving kindness. I don't think I have the ability look at what is called God's anger and read it appropriately. I think it is within the conversations of the community that we are able to walk away from the stories of God's "anger" without being frightened. Instead, I trust that we would be encouraged and hopeful for we will begin to see how we miss the mark and how our God will persistently call new life from us.



Connection: Counting to 10 isn't bad advice. Breathing time can turn my "righteous" anger into the wisdom to talk openly and be willing to take the risks necessary for the welfare of all...not just me. At other times, it is good to make sure we speak sooner...not later, lest we say nothing and evil continues to rule.



Lord, God, show us the way. By your Holy Spirit, guide us that we would face one another in truthfulness. Let our anger diminish as the vision of your reign increases. Amen.