Be angry, and do not sin.

Tonight as I was winding down the evening heading towards bedtime, my little bird was hanging out with me.  She is very social and and is for the most part a well behaved sweet bird, but tonight something must have upset her because she bit me on the ear.

This made me angry and I quickly sought to get her off my shoulder and out of danger of biting me again.

But I thought about this after she was back in her cage.  What if in my anger I had been too rough with her?  She's a little bird after all and should be handled gently.  Even if she upset me for a moment, the fact is I like her and I don't want to hurt her.

The Bible advises us not to sin when we are angry in both Ephesians and Psalms.  I find this a helpful concept. It doesn't say not to ever get angry.  Sometimes things happen that rightfully cause feelings of frustration  It's okay to have a feeling.

The challenge is, what you do with the feeling.   I'm glad I didn't hurt my bird when she upset me.   But like a small bird, people's emotions can be fragile as well.

Psalms 4:4 says, "Be angry, and do not sin.  Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still."

This is pretty good advice.  Sometimes we need a cooling off period when something has caused a strong negative emotion.  But take a look at the rest of the Psalm.  It ends with peace and sleep.  That's a great promise.

"Be angry, and do not sin.
Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And put your trust in the Lord.
There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalms 4:4-8 


(Biblegateway.com)

Community

This evening I took a walk to enjoy fresh air and cool temperature. While I was on my walk I stopped to talk with a neighbor about her beautiful flower garden.  This led to a conversation about the proper care of a rose bush and then to her visiting my aspiring garden and offering tips.

It's interesting how familiarity and shared interests can cause a neighborhood to feel more like a community.  I've lived here for awhile now but I don't know many people.  But when evenings grow longer and summer's warm breezes call for BBQs and gardening it makes it a little easier to cross paths and maybe even have something to talk about.

Every neighborhood may not feel like Mayberry.  Some people may not wish to live in a little town like that but it is important to have community somewhere.

While individuality is a valued trait in our culture,  there is also great value in connecting with other people and doing it regularly.

I think one of the reasons people think back fondly on high school and college years is their community of friends.  People to eat with, study with, vacation with, camp with, and splurge on TV night and popcorn with.  People who knew the ins and outs of daily life and the feeling of comfort associated with being around them.

Most of us don't stay in the college environment forever.  We grow up, get married, find jobs, have kids and generally become adults.  But the problem for some is that if friend groups change as life changes, do we maintain community?  Do we reach out to neighbors, church members, and/or colleagues to form friendships beyond shallow conversations and into the deep, comfortable zone of community?

Sometimes it takes intentionality to grow your community.  Other times it may be as simple as being present in the moments of your life and noticing the people you share them with.