DEVOTION / Triumph over panger
Panger.
Panger was a new word to me when I read it in an article from South China Morning Press that warned of the danger of anger caused by the Covid pandemic. Panger is an elision of pandemic and anger.
Identifying panger
Because of China's insistence on a zero-tolerance policy to combat Covid, frustration, depression, and anxiety remain high among the Chinese. Panger also continues to impact Americans. We see it in
Uncivil social media posts.
A rise in violent crime.
Increased incidents of road rage.
Alcohol and drug abuse.
Obsessing over negative situations.
I've found the fuse on my temper has gotten shorter since 2020. So has my desire to understand why others act and speak the way they do. I grumble more about careless drivers and yet find fault when other drivers show their frustration with me when I am just as careless. I can fail to be patient with waitstaff in restaurants and wait time on helplines.
Are you affected by panger? Signs include physical sensations associated with frustration and anger:
tightening of the chest.
clenching of the jaw or fists.
feeling hot.
the urge to scream.
the desire to run away.
lashing out at others.
Rising above panger
God's unwavering love empowers us to rise above panger. "We love because he first loved us," 1 John 4:19 reminds us. For that reason verse eleven urges, "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Christians don't rise above anger because we are such good people. We don't love others because they are such good people. Or mistreat others because they are such bad people.
We love because we have been loved, because we are loved. "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (John 4:9,10).
The children of God are equipped to rise above panger -- or any kind of anger, frustration, anxiety, and unrighteous indignation.
Focusing on grace
Overwhelmed that our God would set aside his anger over our sinfulness and love us so much he "sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins," we set aside our anger over the sinfulness of others and show them the same love our Father has shown us.
How do we deal with panger pangs? We refuse to focus on what is making us angry. We choose instead to focus on what has made us the beloved children of God. We choose to focus on "how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."