Sharon Lutheran Church recently issued the following announcement.
E-mail Meditation for Sunday, July 26, 2020
Sharon Lutheran Church, Statesville, N.C.
If there is a prevailing mood that seems to be universal these days, it is one of anger. All around us we experience the anger of individuals, groups, communities, politicians, and societies. The whole world seems to be in a griping mood.
That being said, how do we begin to cope in an angry society? How do we adjust attitudes, behavior, and thinking? It seems to me that this is an age old question that has plagued humankind since the beginning of time.
You have no doubt heard that if we could only follow the golden rule, things would be different. Ideally that may be true. But, the reality is that few people seem
to practice this fundamental directive. Respect and acceptance of one another is lost in the posturing for advantage, superiority, and control.
Our health officials tell us that we need to wear masks in this national crisis, in an effort to slow or stop the spread of the dreaded corona-virus. However, we seem to abhor admonitions that tell us how to act. The real factor is that society doesn’t want to be told what to do even if it is for their own good. We could say that we get angry about such requirements.
Maybe if we looked at the dynamic of anger, we would sense where the problem lies. Psychologists tell us that anger surfaces whenever anyone does not get what he or
she wants. We want to be free of outside demands and expectations. We look for comfort
not inconvenience. We could say, that “when I don’t get what I want, I become angry.”
Because of this, we are witnesses to an avalanche of complaining, fussing, arguing, and even hating. Rather than resolution, the rhetoric is never ending with arguments that accuse others of being the problem behind my anger.
I believe, however, that there is a way to work through such concerns. It is in asking for God's help in discerning direction, love, and forgiveness. When anger prevails,
we can only move to the next step for true resolution—acceptance and forgiveness.
Yes, we are to forgive ourselves, as we are to forgive others. To demand God's help in enabling us to be forgiving is the right place to start. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, our anger can be turned away with love and acceptance taking its place.
Lord, help us to see anger for what it is; the destroyer of goodwill, relationships, and acceptance. As Christians we are called to be disciples who exude love, joy, and peace. Give us strength Lord to over come anger by loving it to death.
Pastor David Nelson
Original source can be found here.
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