Christian Living

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At the moment that I'm writing this, I am angry. Please don't sit there and act so surprised or think I have lost my way. I always wondered about Ephesians 4:26 where it tells us to be "angry and sin not". Now that's an interesting concept isn't it? That verse should tell us two things. First, that there is nothing wrong with anger. Second, we must keep a restraint on that anger or it will lead to sin. So, how can we be angry and not sin? Does that mean anger is okay as long as I don't utter a curse word? This anger management thing should be an Olympic sport. With this situation I dealt with just now, I might just get a 9.0 (the Russian judge always gives a low score). Although I didn't handle the situation perfectly, I did refrain from being sinful about my anger. I didn't attack someone personally or say any bad words. My frustration was directed at a person's action (or lack thereof in this case).

The world often has such an unrealistic view of how a Christian should act. They expect us to always turn the other cheek and never raise our voice in defense of ourselves. I'm sorry but I don't believe we have to walk around groveling at everyone's feet. When someone attacks us or pushes us around, we should defend ourselves if it is necessary. Of course, in defending ourselves we must be careful and exercise as much restraint as possible. It is tempting to react in the same way that the world does. The world has virtually no restraint, it takes nothing to spew a verbal tidal wave of profanity or fight someone without much provocation.

If you are part of the crowd that thinks a Christian should always be meek and let people take advantage then I encourage you to join us in the real world. There is no shame or sin in being aggressive or sticking up for our rights. It is true that the Bible says to turn the other cheek but you do only have two of them! What are you going to do after that? There are times when a person should be longsuffering but there are also times when you must respond to situations.

The key to being angry and not sinning is balance. Some people get out of balance when faced with anger. Throwing objects and hurling profanity is not balance. It is extreme and certainly not the way we should react. Throughout my life I have encountered co-workers, roommates and supervisors who could have been the poster children of those needing anger management cases. People who fly off the handle all the time do not gain respect from others but put others on the defensive or in a constant state of fear. So, without balance you lean toward being puny or being a brute. Anger is a natural human emotion. It can be used for good or bad. Anger can be a powerful tool for confronting wrong. It can also be selfish or manipulative and can cause great harm. What angers us controls us. It would be wise to put the control in God’s hands.

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