written by Ken Mitten
Don't sin by letting anger gain
control over you.
Think about it overnight and
remain silent.
PSALM 4:4
"In your anger do not
sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still
angry
EPHESIANS 4:26 NIV
I find it interesting that both of
these views of anger are found in the Word. It strikes me that the
Ephesians quote is often misinterpreted. By this I mean I think
that a modern American mindset applied to this scripture indicates
that we should do everything we can resolve our anger before going
to sleep. So, if we are angry with our wives or children or friends
we should do everything we can to resolve any
conflict attached to this anger.
The truth is, anger is something
we need to surrender to God. Not shove in some overstuffed closet
like Fred Flintstone's bowling ball, perched precariously on the
top shelf waiting to land on our unsuspecting bare feet.
No. However, we also need to respect the person we are
disagreeing with. They may not want to resolve anything this
evening. It is possible that we have stuck our feet so deeply in
our mouths, pulled an Othello and been tricked by the Iagos in our
life that it is best that we just "think about it overnight and
remain silent".
I just spent some time trying to
find the origin of the saying, "Time heals all wounds" with no
luck. Time does not heal all
wounds but time can bring clarity, especially if that time is
devoted to prayer/to reflection instead of the
neck-deep boiling water of anger.
K
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