Recalculate

A couple of days ago, I shared a little about a podcast interview I heard with the author Sylvia Boorstein. She was talking about dealing with anger, and at one point, she brought up the old-school GPS in her car. You may remember when you missed a turn, the GPS would say,  “Recalculating.” Then it would direct you to the next turn.

Recalculating.

She said, “I thought to myself, I should write a book and call it: Recalculating. Because I think that that’s what we’re doing all the time: something happens, it challenges us, and the challenge is, OK, so do you want to get mad now? You could get mad, you could go home, you could make some phone calls, (you could fire off that email) you could tell a few people you can’t believe what this person said or that person said — and you know, indignation is tremendously seductive.… So to not do it, and to say to yourself instead, wait a minute, this is not the right road. Literally, this is not the right road. There’s a fork in the road here. I could become indignant, I could flame up this flame of negativity and anger, or I could say: Recalculating. And no matter how many times I don’t make that turn, it will continue to say, Recalculating.” 

I love that. It’s very practical spirituality. When we feel that indignation, that anger build, if we could just take a breath and pay attention to what’s happening inside. And then, figure out what the next right thing to do really is.  

She went on to share an old story, about a wise grandfather saying to his grandson, “I have two wolves in my heart. The one wolf is loving, and patient, and kind, and generous.  The other wolf is fearful, greedy, angry, bitter, and full of hate. And they’re at war with each other.” And the grandson says, “Which is going to win?”  And the grandfather answers, “The one I feed.”

The truth is, we live in a world that is often contentious. We face outside pressures that are often enormous. We live with people who can be difficult. And there are indeed things that should make us angry. 

In his letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes: “Be angry, but do not sin.”

May we be the kind oof people who are quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. (James 1:19).  May we pause to recalculate. And may we be the kind of people who do not add to the anger and hostility of the world around us, or to the anger and hostility of the world within us.

Let us pray:  God of Grace, we thank you for your love for us, and your love for the world around us.  We don’t have to look far to see tremendous need. We pray today for healing for ourselves and for others. When anger arises within us, help us to pause, and give us the wisdom to respond with grace.  May we ever reflect your love in all we do, and in all we say. In Jesus’ name, Amen.