Sharp words make more wounds than surgeons can heal.
~Chinese Proverb
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
~James 1:19-20
But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
~ from Colossians 3
Oh beloved, it is true. There is a reason that anger is a bad idea. And it is not just because it will get you into trouble. Yes, anger can get us into hot water. But, that is not its worst effect.
Anger saps the life out of its targets.
This fool of a writer knows the reality of this from both perspectives. I am indeed a man with an anger problem. I have hurt many in the past, and i may just hurt some people in the future if i am not yielded to His Spirit for the grace to be gracious. And the only way that i have ever begun to get a handle on it is to realize that it is a problem and to begin to allow G_d to show me that i nearly never have the right to even get angry.
However, my knowledge of anger is not just because i have some of it in me. My knowledge is because i have been the target of anger for much of my life. Many of those close to me had not (or still have not) seen the light on the issue. Fear and want and a sense of being out of control have had many near me pour out their stuff on me.
The result has been a dulling of the brightness in my being. So much of me had hope for this life, but the anger of others has driven this hope beyond this life and into the next. And while i am learning that this is OK – and even something for which i should be exceedingly glad – a part of me moans in anguish.
I am not alone. Nor do i ask for pity. For He has made me strong in Himself. Still, the soul of the one who has been the target of so much anger is smaller than it could be. There is an ebbing of strength and a wishing that things could have been different.
Beloved, may this fool preach for a moment to those who still struggle in this area? Do you have any idea how badly some people are hurt by your anger and fear? May i testify that many people do not see the world as you do. Some people have not one resentful and hurtful bone in their body. Oh yes, we all are fallen.
But, the failures of others do not make them fair game to the mess in your soul. So yeah, i am just gonna say it. Anger is very, very dangerous. And one of the main reasons it is so dangerous is that the people who have the biggest problem with it, don’t think that it is that big of a deal.
So, is anger one of your shortcomings? It is one of mine, and i often lay it at the feet of my King. Maybe it is time for you to work on it too; and not just so you can stay out of trouble. Maybe you should begin working on the issue so that those closest to you can begin to heal as well.
Tonight is your night. Time to give up the right to something you could never handle anyway.
