Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Expression of Hatred

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate, and Hate leads to suffering. - Yoda

Be angry, and do not sin.
Psalm 4:4 (NKJV)


Whenever I hear the word, "wrath," I picture God describing how He will "pour out" His wrath on whoever is deserving on that specific occasion. Wrath, in that case, is obviously not sin, and sometimes a man's wrath is not sinful depending on how the word is used.

It would figure that as I prepare to write this, I would have the concept of sinful wrath illustrated for me in my own life. I had it sort of defined for me. One thing sinful wrath is not is a product of love. I don't think it can even coexist with it. One thing I believed I've learned is that wrath I'm not capable of real wrath against someone a care a lot about. Remember that we're talking about man's wrath here, not God's.

I've also learned, much to my surprise, that I am very capable of wrath against folks I don't much care for. I think of a moment recently where a picked up an iron bar outside the building I work at and thought, "I'm gonna make you famous," as I imagined myself turning the rod on my lazy ass coworker. Now, I was being humorous, and would (probably) never physically attack someone who wasn't directly threatening me. But is was an example of wanting to pour my anger, maybe even my hatred, out on this man's unfortunate bald head.

So what's the difference between healthy anger and sinful wrath? Reasonable anger is something that occurs because of love, not outside of it. It is a reaction to perceived injustice, however slight, and seeks to be understood. Wrath is also a reaction to perceived injustice, but is void of compassion. It seeks to destroy its subject, or at least be rid of it. As is often the case, the good seeks reconciliation, the bad seeks separation.

I've come a long way in controlling my emotions in my adult life. But I find that I still must be wary of the "little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV). If I don't, I may find myself bouncing a yardstick of the skull of that lady in receiving one day.