Anger is useful, but don’t let it consume you.

Righteous anger is the right kind of anger. Righteous anger isn’t the kind of anger that condemns people. It’s the type of anger that defends the innocent. Including the times when we defiantly stand up against oppression, persecution, violence, etc. It seeks to defend, but not to destroy.

Anger taken too far becomes toxic to yourself and to others around you. “Be angry and sin not” is a useful model, because it’s not realistic to never be angry, and it’s not reasonable to allow your anger to get out of control.

No one lives without anger. Even when we don’t see anger in another person that doesn’t mean it’s not there. An underlying righteous anger motivates many of our actions. Especially when it comes to the change we want to make in the world.

Give yourself permission to sometimes be angry, but not spiteful, toxic, unreasonable, out of control, or destructive.