“When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down. Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].” Ephesians 4:26-27 (Amplified)

I haven’t written much, if anything, about our new President since he’s been in office. All of 2 months now, but you wouldn’t know that by the harsh criticism and negativity that plague him. You would think that President Barack Obama has been in office for eight long ill-served years now, such as his predecessor.

I expected opposition, tension, and adversity for the new administration and I am not at all surprised. However, I am frustrated with the nitpicking. It really serves no purpose. I can understand when people do not agree with policy or decisions, but when grown folks begin to pick and unravel in order to build a case against the President (or anyone for that matter), that really gets my goat! What makes it so bad with the issue that I have a problem with is the fact that the people who are trying to look dignified are really looking ignorant.

Here’s the case. Listening to various early Sunday morning talk shows yesterday, I heard several times from different people that President Obama was not keeping a campaign promise. That promise: He would not govern out of anger. They then kept running snips of the President stating that he was also outraged about the current state of our economy and the actions of people such as the AIG officials receiving large bonuses. Then they would say again, with indignitation, that he said that he would not govern out of anger.

I wanted to shake those folks because they don’t get it. President Obama did not say that he would never GET angry, but he would not let anger color his actions. There is a difference. A person who never gets angry is a person who has no emotions. It’s a person who does not have feelings. It’s a cold-hearted unfeeling person who does not care. Most Americans have felt some type of anger at some point in recent history, and particularly now with everything that’s going on in our nation. And, I must point out that these series of events did not begin two months ago. They are a result of what’s been going on over the last eight years.

Yes, President Obama is angry just like most of us! He is allowed to feel the emotion. However, I truly believe that he has, is, and will do his best not to let the anger control him. That’s the difference. Feel it. Own it. Absorb it. Then move on and make rational decisions that are not emotionally-charged. Afterall, it is anger that bring about things such as UNNECESSARY wars.

Even the Word of God acknowledges anger. It doesn’t say that we will never get angry, but it encourages us not to allow anger to overtake us.

Stop the nitpicking, and let us all work together to make our country better.

Blessings!

Carla Y. Nix