Dana Reardon - Transform your indignation into action

Transform your indignation into action

Yesterday I got a call from a man who lives near a public spot that our church "adopted " -- that is, keep cleaned and groomed. He was understandably upset because the spot has not been taken care of. He has to drive by it every day and look at it. Clearly it had been bothering him for some time.

He told me that it wasn't a good way to advertise our church and I told him that he was right. He told me that it looked awful and I told him he was right. I must have said, "You are absolutely right," a half dozen times, because he was. You know how things happen in churches: The people who had originally taken on the project with the church confirmands are no longer members. And others have volunteered to take responsibility but have had things happen in their lives that were more important than the adopt-a-spot.

Long ago I should have gotten it taken care of, or I should have called the town and asked how we can "unadopt" a spot, but I didn't.

The man was angry. He was going to call city hall and complain. I am not sure what responsibility we have in this and what city hall would have done, but I could hear his frustration and so I told him to do what he needed to do, that he was perfectly justified in doing so.

This morning I got a call from the same man. He called to tell me that he mowed the lawn. He asked if we could just take care of the litter.

Maybe this is a model for stewardship for all of us. What is it that you are justifiably angry at? It is something you think someone else has fallen down on? Is it something you may even be angry at someone in church or the government or even God for?

We get that way when we see injustices. We get that way when we see neglect. We get that way when we see something that should not be the way it is.

So get angry and call someone. Get upset with God and talk to God about it. Speak to whomever you believe is responsible. But don't stop there. Do what you can do about it.

There are things in the world that are beyond us. Things that are to big for us. But there are also a lot of things that are not the way they should be and we could do something with our anger about them.

Lord,
Sometimes I get angry that your world is not the way you created it to be. I get angry at those who are supposed to care for it and don't. Hear my frustration and my anger and strengthen me to do something about it.
Amen

The Rev. Dana Reardon is pastor at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Warwick, RI. A lifelong Lutheran, she came to ordained ministry after 21 years in nursing, mostly in pediatric intensive care. She graduated from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 1998 and served 4 ½ years in Upstate New York before becoming a New Englander. She is still trying to understand the accent. While in the Upstate New York Synod she chaired the Stewardship Team. That began her fascination with what makes stewards -- and more, what makes for generosity. She has three amazing daughters: Pastor Reardon says much of what she knows of life she learned from them.