Part of getting older (and hopefully wiser) is the ability to recognize when to turn away from chaos in the moment in order to refocus on that which is life-sustaining. It is more than taking a 10 minute break or finishing up a necessary everyday chore. It is purposeful awareness that gently presses us to inquire what role we play in ordered creation. It is not an easy task.

There are several paths that suffice. Some embrace meditation. Others name it prayer, an emptying of oneself that includes letting go of judgment toward others. The awareness called for is not only self-directed, but it also benefits from one’s relationship to The Divine, a spiritual oneness that allows the letting go of anger, hurt, jealousy, and fear. Fear is a driving concern for many these days. We have a choice whether or not to allow that fear a foothold in our lives. Does our response to fearsome things result in us making better choices, or does it move like a contagion in our lives and the lives of those who surround us?

The noisy chatter we encounter daily is seldom derived from deep contemplation. It survives instead on a diet of sound bites, sarcasm, and “gotcha” journalism. While it is easy to point fingers at what everyone else is doing (wrong), we prefer to avoid our own rather obvious self-righteous state. Fear generates anger, and anger can either be used constructively or manipulated for selfish purpose. A frequently quoted maxim attributed to multiple sources is one worth stating again; “He who angers you, defeats you.”

The author of James might concur with such a statement, especially through the paraphrased work of Eugene Peterson. “Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a… garden of your life (19-21, MSG).”

Dealing with anger fruitfully, then moving forward once again constitutes noble aspiration. We have, in any single moment, the ability to do tremendous and amazing work springing out of the oft mentioned Kingdom of God, a compendium of human compassions that Jesus so capably brought to the forefront. He put the bee on us to pay attention, and then gifted us with patience to see it through. Are we listening? Are we acting with a gentle patience in recognizing the value and dignity of all?

Living in the moment means that we cannot walk away from things that bring anger and fear. And though we are seldom taught how to deal purposefully with such emotions, there is no time like the present to listen and to learn and to be patient as we share the stories that encompass our common humanity. We are connected to each other, no matter how we imagine ourselves otherwise. Challenge yourself to move beyond bias when encountering the “other.” Test your own limits of understanding, and then take it a step further. Discover a liminal awareness within yourself. You will find it to be enlightening, perhaps even astonishing.