“Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin (ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε); do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no place (τόπον) to the devil.” (Eph 4: 25-27)
What kind of “anger” is St. Paul talking about here? The kind that is directed not at people, either others or ourselves, but at “falsehood.” This kind of “anger” is a gift from God and a helpful tool, which I can pick up briefly to “put away falsehood.” But I don’t let “the sun go down” on such anger, lest it mutate into a “falsehood” of its own, which will begin to eat away at me and my relationships with others.
Today let me use anger to shed God’s light on darkness, rather than to perpetuate it. Let me not be afraid to take an honest look at things, “putting away” any “falsehood,” – like people-pleasing posing as “service to others,” or lust posing as “unrequited love,” or procrastination posing as “additional research,” or envy posing as “constructive criticism.” Let me turn away from these unhealthy “falsehoods” in brief, God-given anger, choosing health-bringing truth instead.
