I had been lied to, betrayed, and hurt. I was angry and felt I
had every right to be. Anger crushed my desire to forgive. Although I’d asked
God to fill my heart with mercy, I kept a running mental list of justifications
for my anger that overrode my empty prayers.
My internal dialogue was one big argument. One voice tried to
convince me I was justified in remaining angry; another voice tried to persuade
me that mercy was the right choice.
For months, the loudest voice was the one that indulged my
damaged emotions:Yes, I have
a right to be angry. Anyone would agree.
Listening to the voice of bitterness and unforgiveness, I often
lashed out with impatience and meanness. I could play the good Christian woman
for short periods of time, but if something triggered my suppressed emotions,
hostility and resentment catapulted to the surface.
Reading Scripture one morning, I sensed God inviting me to
consider the direction my anger was taking me and the damage it was doing. As I
read the words from James 1, I couldn’t help but notice how it says “everyone”
should be slow to speak and slow to anger. This truth from God’s Word left no
room for my excuses or righteous indignation, even though I felt like my anger
was justified. And then a few verses later, I read this:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do
what it says. — James 1:22
From a worldly perspective, I knew I had every right to be angry.
But from God’s perspective, my anger only added to the sin of the situation. My
refusal to extend the same mercy and forgiveness God had given me was
preventing me from living out the Gospel.
Through the words of James, God softened my heart. I
acknowledged that although I said I’d forgiven this person with my words, I had
not forgiven with my heart — and it was time to do so and move on.
In every area of life,
including managing our most powerful emotions, God tells us to be quick to
listen (to Him and others), slow to speak, and slow to become angry. As we
apply these practices in our relationships, we become doers of His Word, not
just hearers, and that leads to the righteousness God desires.
Dear Lord, please
forgive me for harboring anger. Equip me with a supernatural ability to forgive
those who have hurt me. Guard my heart when old emotions threaten to surface.
Strip my heart of anger and replace it with joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
REMEMBER
Anger only worsens any situation, but
selfless forgiveness brings freedom. We are all called to forgive even when
wronged, just as God forgives us.
REFLECT
Whom have you been harboring anger
toward or withholding forgiveness from? Have these feelings caused you to feel
bitter?
RESPOND
Pour out your heart to God today,
telling Him how you feel. Then write out a prayer of forgiveness for the one
who hurt you, surrendering that burden to God, and asking Him to replace your
feelings of bitterness with peace and joy.
POWER VERSES
Ephesians 4:26–27; Ephesians 4:30–31
No comments:
Post a Comment