Psalm 123

1 To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.

2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, *
until he show us his mercy.

4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,

5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.

There is a lot of anger out there. A lot of confusion. A lot of disagreement. Israel and Hamas. Republicans and Democrats. Cars and Bike Lanes. Where should our attention go? Perhaps we should take the advice of the psalm and direct our eyes (and our hands and our hearts) to God. Not to pull ourselves OUT of the conflict of this world, but rather to give us the strength to engage deeper with those in conflict.

You see, when we experience conflict in one part of our lives, we are tempted to take and spread that conflict to other aspects of our life and our community. This phenomenon, called displaced aggression, is very common and yet not always recognized by the one doing it.

So let me just say that all of us do this! This is why it is so important to be intune with our emotions and feelings so that we catch ourselves before we transfer the anger, frustration and hurt we feel onto others.

It is why we should look to God. To share that anger vertically instead of horizontally.

Maybe this week you too have had more than enough of contempt. Are tired of the scorn of the indolent rich and the derision of the proud? If so you are in good company. Offer all that frustration up to God, and know that God grieves with you, sits with you, and prays with you, especially in those difficult times.