I was struck by a comment that Rich Logis made recently.  Rich  is the founder of the nonprofit, “Leaving MAGA.”

He described his time in the MAGA universe as, “It was exhilarating and enthralling, until it wasn’t. When I left, I came to realize that I had essentially been addicted to rage.” 

Anger and rage energize us. They flood our bodies with adrenaline and cortisol. Rage can motivate us to act, in ways that are both just and unjust. There is a time and a place to be angry and upset. Anger can validate who we are, our worth and our value.

We live in a society that foments  rage . . . Rage and resentment sell. There are profits to be made. Talking heads scream at each other, on our cable news stations. Algorithms, tracking our interests, send endless streams of rage to our devices.

It does not take much to inflame our emotions, or stoke our anger with insidious media that can turn our rage meters up. From podcasts that encourage our resentments, to the constant drone of memes on our social media feeds, telling us how angry and outraged we ought be. It would be easy to slip into constant rage, feeding off one injustice or another.

That I agree with a lot those memes, doesn’t make their effect any less. I am angry with multiple policies of this administration.There is not shortage of reasons to be upset.

I’d like to think that only people who disagree with me, were addicted to rage. But, anger and resentment fester throughout our society.

Rage is not healthy for our spirits or our bodies. Nor is it healthy for us as a people. We were not meant to live in a state of constant rage.

Unchecked rage turns a White House Corespondents Dinner into chaos. It grows a hit list, that takes the lives of a Minnesota politician and her husband.

God asks us to use our anger at injustice, to do good, working for justice in tangible ways.

Jesus cautioned his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16

May our anger turn into bread, and our rage be gentled into true justice.