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Even though Ephesians 4:26 is frequently translated as “be angry but do not sin,” this same verse can also be translated as “be angry and do not sin.” What a difference a conjunction makes. The “but” made me nervous about where to draw the line between anger and sin. Yet the “and” makes me wonder if Paul is setting anger up as an imperative for a person of faith.

What would it look like if we understood this verse to be a command – a call to action? What if God needs us to “be angry” in order to claim our faith heritage?

What if the next time we look around, we hold ourselves open to anger? When we see people who are falling through the cracks, the poor and ill in our communities, the ways that power structures give preferential treatment to those who already have what they need, shouldn’t that make us angry?

In the past, I thought I could steer clear from trouble by removing anger from my life. Now I see anger as a tool God uses to make all things new.

This message is excerpted from “Hope’s beautiful daughters” by Cara Strickland in the September 2019 Gather magazine.