Angry people are not always wise.  – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Facts are great.  They help us focus on the truth over how we feel, over our emotions, over our opinions.

But when people are angry they are not interested in taking the time to listen to facts.  They are not interested in hearing the truth.  Angry are too busy contemplating what they want to say, because they want to be heard.

Anger clouds logic.

Let’s look at, for instance, what has been happening in Ferguson, Mo.

The “protestors” have said they are hitting the streets in the name of justice.  Instead of heeding the insight given by the facts in the case these “protestors” acted on their anger… in a destructive way.   They turned their anger outwards and took to the streets in “celebration of criminality” (Rev. Voddie Baucham).

The search for facts shed light on the truth… and justice was served in the moment the blood trail told the story.  The facts show that Michael Brown attacked a police officer… armed with his hands and a violent, disrespectful spirit.  The facts show that he was not shot in the back.  The facts show that Office D. Wilson acted within his rights to use excessive force… doing his job to protect the community.

The Grand Jury took time to set aside public opinion, set aside anger, set aside political rants … and just look at the evidence.

But the “protestors” had no interest in that process.

As Rev. Voddie Baucham stated these hooligans (let’s’ call them what they are) are celebrating disrespect.  They are celebrating criminality.  Plain and simple.

Anger is just anger.  It isn’t good.  It isn’t bad.  It just is.  What you do with it is what matters.  It’s like anything else.  You can use it to build or to destroy.  You just have to make the choice.  Jim Butcher

Let’s call it what it is … the hooligans are not out for justice.  They are making bad decisions… it’s never too late to turn around and make the right decisions.

It’s never too late … it’s never too late to learn to respond differently.  For more on Biblical guidance on anger management, click here.

In your anger do not sin.  Ephesians 4:26