Angry
By Peggy Kleckner
“Now, O LORD, take
away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the LORD
replied, “Have you any right to be angry?” ”
Jonah
4:3-4 (NIV)
Have
you ever been there? Discouraged with your own life, just wanting to be done
with the effort of it? Are you mad about your lot in life, frustrated over the
amount of effort you put in, or how little someone else has put in (at least
according to your scale)? Do things look unfair or out of balance to you?
Does
it seem as if you have put out so much effort with little to show for it, while
others seem to just fall into those bowls of cherries?
Do
your dark days seem to stretch on and on, while others seem to untangle so much
more quickly? Are you storming the gates of heaven with your demand to be
“done”?
You
are not alone.
God’s
question calls me up short. Do I truly have any “right” to be angry? I may have
the feeling of anger, but an actual “right” to that feeling is another matter
altogether. If I say, “Yes, I do have the right to my anger,” aren’t I saying
that I have somehow earned something or deserved a particular outcome? That
somehow I am in control and, by my efforts, I am calling the shots; I am master
of my destiny? Do I really think that I have control over Him? Do I think that
I have a right to be judge and jury of my life and/or the lives of others?
Is
not every breath grace? If, in my anger I say, “Take my life!” am I not then
truly saying, “Take away your grace!” Would it not be more sensible to ask Him
how to live in His grace, using the gifts as He has chosen to apportion them?
Should I not bow my head now in repentance of my arrogance and pride?
If
you go back to the context of this verse you will find that Jonah was angry
that God was compassionate toward his enemies when they repented. He enjoyed
God’s compassion, but apparently he still wanted his enemies to “pay for their
wickedness.” May we be men and women who
are willing to rejoice in God’s grace and compassion wherever He chooses to
pour it out. May we also be teachable when our anger leads to His response and
questions.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you angry with your lot in life at
present?
2. Are you
willing to discuss that anger with your Creator?
FURTHER READING:
Peggy is a wife and
mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active
encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.
