My dog gives a warning sign when he’s angry or upset. He growls and the hair on his neck stands up. This is his signal that something isn’t right, and it’s time to pay attention.
We might think about our own anger similarly. There is no full human experience without anger. We can experience anger with our friends, our family, our children, our co-workers, and even with our faith communities. We might make a point of noticing when we want to utter the human equivalent of a growl, and pay attention to what’s making us feel that way before we act.
What causes us to react with anger? Is it injustice? Is it danger? Paying attention will help us live more fully into who God has created us to be. Like all human beings created in God’s image, we are faced with anger. It comes alongside joy and sadness. Anger is not to be ignored, but instead can be seen as an invitation to be united in and ignited with a passion for justice. Anger is a part of the fullness of humanity. What we do with it is a response to God’s grace.
This message is excerpted from “You’ve got me feeling emojis” by Kristin Glass Perez in the June 2017 Café online magazine.
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