Be Angry but Do Not Sin

I read recently that the great Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini was legendary for his fits of rage. The librarian of one of Toscanini’s orchestras was particularly vexed by the maestro’s habit of throwing valuable musical scores at the musicians when angry. Watching closely, the librarian observed that Toscanini’s first act when enraged was to take his baton in both hands and try to break it. If the baton snapped, Toscanini usually calmed down and rehearsal continued. If the baton did not break, he began hurling scores. The librarian’s solution? He made sure the conductor had a generous supply of flimsy batons on hand for rehearsal!  (Today in the Word, February 1991, p. 22.)

Anger can be so dangerous. But, it is also a God-given emotion. There were times when Jesus got angry – especially when confronted with injustice. The question for us is how are we going to handle our anger? If we fly off the handle in a fit of rage, we usually end up making serious mistakes.  On the other hand, if we can channel it into solutions, it can be a powerful ally.

Today, I pray that when you get angry, you would delay responding. Breathe deeply. Remove yourself from the situation. Consider the source of your anger, and give yourself time to think about how you might channel that energy into a positive solution.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Be angry, but do not sin… Do not let the sun go down on your anger.”

Let us pray: Loving God, you know us. You know how sometimes we get angry over silly even insignificant things; and, how we sometimes fail to be outraged by the true injustice we see all around us. Rest your hand upon us and heal of us of these faults. Help us constrain our tempers, and channel them into solutions – that your will, mercy, justice, and grace would be done. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.