desire for vengeance
I once spoke with a father whose son had been brutally murdered by a family friend. In the years that followed, he talked of his burning desire for revenge. He knew that bitterness had overtaken his heart and crowded out that which was good. Although he wanted to turn this festering burden over to Jesus, he struggled with letting go.…
compassionate anger
Some things make me angry. Newspaper columnists who belittle life-long marriage; radio hosts who rile against refugees; the big glossy advertisements for brothels in my local newspaper; climate-change proponents who label their critics ”deniers” to silence them; climate-change critics who label their opponents “alarmists” for the same reason. Yes, some things make me angry.
Jesus became angry (John 2:13-17; 11:33). One…
patience, man
After church one Sunday, our family pulled up to the drive-up window of a local fast-food restaurant. We inched up to the microphone and waited. After a lengthy pause, a voice told us it would be just another minute. I felt a surge of irritation. When my husband finally placed our order, the voice vanished again. “Helloooo?” we called. The voice…
