Anger and Blessing
I worked in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Chicago. A new nurse joined the staff. She was tall (6′), gangly, and looked like someone we now associate with the 60’s. However, it was the 70’s. People thought that Roxy looked like someone straight from Haight-Ashbury. And she cast off the aura of the same.
Roxy was a terrific lady. And was a more conservative person than I was or am. But she didn’t look like it at all. A person had to be around her for some time and talk about the basics in order to realize that this is a very solid, decent human being.
At the same time,we had a supervisor who was a very good looking, bright, intelligent woman. I liked her and thought she did a good job as our supervisor. Then one day she called me into her office. She took it upon herself to advise me that I would do better than to have Roxy for a friend…that being around her would ruin my reputation. But this lady did not know Roxy. But I did. She was making her judgment on how she felt about how Roxy looked.
I was furious. I don’t think I have ever been so angry in all my life. I spent night and day dreaming up what horrendously dreadful things I could do to “get back” at the supervisor. I was very inventive too, I might add. But this went on day after day. I wondered what right she had to tell me who my friends should be. And since she was rarely around Roxy, how did she know about her anyway. I had righteous anger if there ever was righteous anger. And I thought I had a right to it too. And I was a wrathful person.
Now, you may ask, “What did you do about it?” Actually, I didn’t do anything about it. I realized I was harming myself and nobody else. And I like people too much to “do” something to her. The one thing I told her was that my friends are my business just as her friends are hers.
I don’t know how God felt in his anger at Israel, but I understand why He decided to bring them blessings. I was not able to go that far all those years ago (35), but it has always been a wonderful example in my life of how to behave when a person has managed to engage my wrath. Since that time nothing has made me so angry as that did. I had no idea I could feel so angry. It is a powerful feeling…and since then I have tried to use it for good instead of trying to convince a person of my position. I will stand on my own two feet but not in anger. That will benefit nobody and just makes the situation worse. Yes, I become angry from time to time. But it is important in our lives to be selective over that about which we become angry. I have found that if I am quite angry, there is usually something important going on in my life that I am ignoring.
I try to take the anger and try to turn it into a blessing for myself or another person. Yes, it can be done. Anger is the spiritually drained person’s way of handling problems. We do not see it as a red flag in our lives. We just know that we are right. And we may be. But anger will not fix anything at all. But it will make most situations worse and make us feel miserable as well.
It is obvious that I have not forgotten this incident in my life. It has been too good of a teacher to forget what happened. I learned tremendously from it…one of which was just how angry I could feel. I was totally surprised. Prior to this incident, I had turned most anger inward, and it expressed itself in depression.
Lord, help us to forgive as You forgive. Help us be a blessing to everyone whether we become angry with them or not.
Carol
Anger and Blessing
I worked in an Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Chicago. A new nurse joined the staff. She was tall (6′), gangly, and looked like someone we now associate with the 60’s. However, it was the 70’s. People thought that Roxy looked like someone straight from Haight-Ashbury. And she cast off the aura of the same.
Roxy was a terrific lady. And was a more conservative person than I was or am. But she didn’t look like it at all. A person had to be around her for some time and talk about the basics in order to realize that this is a very solid, decent human being.
At the same time,we had a supervisor who was a very good looking, bright, intelligent woman. I liked her and thought she did a good job as our supervisor. Then one day she called me into her office. She took it upon herself to advise me that I would do better than to have Roxy for a friend…that being around her would ruin my reputation. But this lady did not know Roxy. But I did. She was making her judgment on how she felt about how Roxy looked.
I was furious. I don’t think I have ever been so angry in all my life. I spent night and day dreaming up what horrendously dreadful things I could do to “get back” at the supervisor. I was very inventive too, I might add. But this went on day after day. I wondered what right she had to tell me who my friends should be. And since she was rarely around Roxy, how did she know about her anyway. I had righteous anger if there ever was righteous anger. And I thought I had a right to it too. And I was a wrathful person.
Now, you may ask, “What did you do about it?” Actually, I didn’t do anything about it. I realized I was harming myself and nobody else. And I like people too much to “do” something to her. The one thing I told her was that my friends are my business just as her friends are hers.
I don’t know how God felt in his anger at Israel, but I understand why He decided to bring them blessings. I was not able to go that far all those years ago (35), but it has always been a wonderful example in my life of how to behave when a person has managed to engage my wrath. Since that time nothing has made me so angry as that did. I had no idea I could feel so angry. It is a powerful feeling…and since then I have tried to use it for good instead of trying to convince a person of my position. I will stand on my own two feet but not in anger. That will benefit nobody and just makes the situation worse. Yes, I become angry from time to time. But it is important in our lives to be selective over that about which we become angry. I have found that if I am quite angry, there is usually something important going on in my life that I am ignoring.
I try to take the anger and try to turn it into a blessing for myself or another person. Yes, it can be done. Anger is the spiritually drained person’s way of handling problems. We do not see it as a red flag in our lives. We just know that we are right. And we may be. But anger will not fix anything at all. But it will make most situations worse and make us feel miserable as well.
It is obvious that I have not forgotten this incident in my life. It has been too good of a teacher to forget what happened. I learned tremendously from it…one of which was just how angry I could feel. I was totally surprised. Prior to this incident, I had turned most anger inward, and it expressed itself in depression.
Lord, help us to forgive as You forgive. Help us be a blessing to everyone whether we become angry with them or not.
Carol
