Why Are Y’all So Mad?

I’d like to talk to you guys for a minute about your anger.

So many of you are so angry.

So many, in fact, that I feel very comfortable saying “you” to the open air of the internet as I write this.

People are thinking things that you think are stupid.
People are saying things you don’t like.
These people are trying to tell you what to do.

Grr.

Christians are not exempt here.

Try to tell a good Christian that they need to put their anger away, and you’ll often draw the predictable if not classic rebuttal, “Hey man, there is a place for righteous anger.”

Maybe, homie.

But the comments section of a random meme on Facebook probably isn’t that place, and even if it were, as a general rule let’s all just assume that righteous anger never ends with the word “snowflake.”

Every angry person seems to believe their anger is justified. Ask them why, and they’ll tell you in so many words, “Because I am right.” (Or the inverse, “Because they’re wrong.)

Somehow, we have decided that if our logic is right, our anger response is also right.

We’re idiots.

Consider the following two biblical Proverbs:

- “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding.”
- “Good sense makes one slow to anger.”

Scripture says that great understanding and good sense are closely tied with slowness to anger. And yet, you who claim to have such great understanding and good sense seem to be the quickest to anger.

The Bible has a word for you. It’s “fool.”

Go ahead and get mad about it. But then keep reading. I can’t talk around this foolish anger anymore. So many of you are hurting yourself and others, and you don’t see it!

You are blinded to the destructive power of anger. It wrecks us. It wrecks our relationships and our very selves.

Most of us know somebody who has been swallowed up by their anger. See, anger forces everything else out to make room for more anger. It devours our kindness, gentleness, compassion, care, even our reason. Left untended, it leaves us as bitter, angry shells capable of no other emotion.

Perhaps you’ve observed about yourself as you’ve aged that you’re angry about more things, that it takes less work to stir up your anger than it used to, and that your anger lingers longer than it used to.

This is the nature of anger. It consumes us. Anger begets more anger.

This is why the loudest message of the Bible when it comes to anger is to put it away.

Paul wrote in Colossians, “Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice.” 

He wrote again in Ephesians, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

I’ll pause for that one guy. ”Yeah, but Adam, Paul also wrote to be angry and not to let the sun go down on your anger! There’s a difference between sinful anger and righteous anger.”

Sure.

We’ll get there.

But first, let’s try to remember how saturated the New Testament is with the charge to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us, to not return evil for evil.

I mean, Jesus died for his enemies. He prayed for them while he was dying.

While he was pinned to a cross under the abusive hand of injustice, he was not boiling with anger, but overflowing with grace.

Is there such a thing as holy, righteous anger?

Of course. God is great at it. You’re terrible at it. I know you’re terrible at it because truly righteous anger doesn’t get defensive when it is questioned.

You’re busy fighting to justify your anger as righteous when you’d be much better off fighting the battle to be at peace when you’re inclined to anger.

When your enemies prevail against you.
When injustice prevails.
When people are mocking you, spitting at you, rejecting you.
When unwise people gain power.

Or when someone Tweets a thought you think is dumb.

Take your cue from Jesus.

This is not your home. You belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And the king of that kingdom is perfectly holy, righteous, wise, good, and just. And by choice, he took upon the mockery and rejection of unwise and unjust men. He permitted himself to be killed by the hands of anger. And that wasn’t the worst of it. He took upon himself the full and perfect anger of Father God toward sin. He was shamed and rejected so that before God, we never will be.

So whatever this world does to you, you can return grace. Because you don’t need anything this world has to offer. Everything you need has already been perfectly secured for you in Christ Jesus.

So put away your anger. Rest. Breathe. Get your eyes off your circumstances and onto a God who, because of Jesus, makes his face to shine upon you.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you.

Be at peace.

Love you guys.