A couple of years ago I received a call home from my child’s teacher saying that he, and other classmates, had made poor choices in class that day.

When our child arrived home that day I sat beside him and asked him what happened.

He replied very matter of factly, “There was a classmate who was angry and he passed the anger to the kid next to him by pushing him. Then that boy passed the anger to the next kid by stomping on his foot and then that person passed the anger to me. Then it was my turn to pass along the anger.” His response made me pause.

Pass along the anger?

I do not condone my child’s choices that day, yet his response made me see that this isn’t just something that happens in his classroom with his classmates. This is something we do as adults.

I am sharing this with you today to invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we recognize it is okay to be angry, yet what we do with our anger matters. May we know our initial reaction most likely is not the most beneficial one to respond with. May we create space to use our anger productively; to guide us to what is right, just and towards restoration.

And like I shared with my son that day, may we do our best to let anger that comes our way stop with us, as hard as that might be, so we don’t pass the anger onto others in a destructive way.

With love and hope,
Shawn

“Seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” - Micah 6:8