Last Sunday, I had the honor of delivering the sermon at Jesse Lee. The title was Anger Management, and the main thrust was that, while we spend time and energy being angry over various and sundry circumstances, there are some things that are really worth being angry about.

I used this story as part of the sermon, and I thought perhaps you would enjoy it…

One afternoon, a few years ago, I was working at home. Young Dackerie was playing quietly by herself…or so I thought. Today, with a little more parenting experience under my belt, I have come to understand that silence, as it pertains to unsupervised toddlers, is not to be relished, but rather feared. That day, however, I was enjoying the calm, and taking advantage of the quiet as I worked feverishly on an overdue manuscript for the United Methodist Publishing House. The only stray thought: that I am such a good parent to have instilled in my daughter the ability to entertain herself from time to time.

It was in that very position, hunched over the keyboard, staring intently at the screen that my wife found me on her arrival home from work. I said, “Hi hon, I’m almost done,” as Dackerie raced across the room to greet her mother. I became aware that something was amiss only when I heard the shrill questioning of “What did you do?”

Now to begin to have an appreciation for the volume and tenor of that exclamation, I would ask that you consider for a moment undergoing an extensive dental procedure without the benefit of novocaine.

You see, Dackerie had been playing “barber.” Her bangs were all hacked up, including one quadrant where no bangs remained at all. This, on its own, would certainly garner wrath from any mother, but you see, the following Saturday, Dackerie was to be the flower girl in my wife’s cousin’s wedding.

In a single motion, I swung around in my office chair, came to my feet, and struck the “standard disapproving parent” pose. My wife continued her rant, supported by my pose.

Timing is such a funny thing. It makes or breaks a joke, or a stock trade, or a tense situation. I bring this up because, it’s odd how, just about the time Angela paused in her scolding of Dackerie, the dog walked by, with a big chunk of fur missing.

At that point, Angela said nothing more. She just turned and looked at me. You see, I had been in charge.

Be angry…but don’t let the sun go down on your anger. I think we were up pretty late that particular night.

Kids are awesome, but they sure can make you angry. Perhaps you have some stories to share?