Reflection for July 26, 2014

"But God said to Jonah, 'Is  it right for you to be angry about the bush?' And he said, 'Yes, angry enough to die.'"(Jonah 4:9)

"I'm so angry I can't see straight."  I've heard this said when someone has gotten so ticked off that they have lost all sense of reason and cannot seem to calm down.  It's frightening to be around that kind of anger. It is also frightening to be that angry.

The problem for Jonah and for many is the things that get us that angry are often incredibly trivial, for Jonah it is the loss of a bush that had kept him comfortable. For others perhaps it is something not going our way.  Or an insult or hurt that has occurred that takes so much by surprise that we don't know what to do with it. And suddenly we are not only hurt, but have lost control.

God tells Jonah his anger is misplaced.  He didn't say never be angry by the way.  If all we do in response to every little thing is be "angry enough to die,"  we will eventually get to a point where that is all we ever are, angry.

And in doing so we will not be able to channel our anger at events or circumstances that really should make us angry and to take that energy and put it into a creative solution.

Blessings,
Ed