October 7, 2009
I just got back from my son’s basketball game. The team they were playing was clearly a superior team. They had great skills, they were coached well, they played hard. Bottom line: they were a great team. The final score was 110 to 35. What really got me angry was the fact that they full court pressed almost the entire game. In my books, that is just not good sports etiquette.
I used to do a lot of coaching. I’ve coached provincial champions, regional champions and zone champions in a few sports. One unwritten rule is that you don’t run up the score and embarrass your opponent. Sure, play them hard, but don’t crush them – especially in grade 10.
Our guys handled it really well. They were clearly frustrated and angry, but they maintained their composure. They played hard until the end. They channeled their anger. I tried to channel my anger too, but to be honest I was really pissed.
Here’s my point – I haven’t felt anger like that for a long time. Now, some of you guys out there may feel anger on a regular basis. I don’t, and I think that’s a problem. I believe that there is a time for anger. You see, anger is not a sin. What we do with it can be sinful. If anger is a sin, then God sins because scripture tells us He gets angry.
We need to get angry! Now please hear this – we don’t need to get angry at petty little things. Unfortunately we tend to get angry at things we shouldn’t, and don’t get angry at things we should. Someone once said that a man is only as big as that which makes Him angry. We need to get angry about things that really matter. We need to get angry with our own sin. We need to get angry with apathy. We need to get angry with injustice. We need to get angry with the enemy’s strategy in our lives, in our marriages and in our children’s lives. We need to get angry with the enemy’s bullying!
Remember Popeye? “That’s all I can stands and I can’t stands no more!” Then he pounds the bad guy. How much crap are we going to put up with in our life and the lives of those we love before we get angry enough to do something about the enemy’s strategy?
Our enemy is spiritual, the battle is real, and there is a time for anger. We must get angry with evil.
Ephesians 4:26
“Be angry and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
Strength and courage,
David MacLean