Anger

"Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." 
                                                               - Ecclesiastes 7:9

I came across this verse today in my reading and it really stuck with me, so maybe this is a sage, wise reminder for you out there today - I know it is for me, as well. 

Don't let anger rule your heart.

...and that's exactly what anger does - it rules. There is no such thing as a person who is happy and fulfilled but also angry at someone. You can only have it one way because anger refuses to be kept in a small space in your heart. In fact, anger longs to grow, to dominate, and to give birth to some pretty gruesome kids including bitterness, discontent, resentment, revenge, and hatred. Yikes! I don't think any of us would ever want to look honestly at ourselves and see those characteristics evident in our lives - and yet many, if we are being honest with ourselves, have allowed anger to lead us blindly down that path and before we know it, we can find ourselves surrounded by anger and it's kids, deep in the muck of a life that is far from what God intended us to live.

A very good picture of what anger does is seen in the situation faced in the '80's comedy-horror movie that all kids of my generation grew up with, Gremlins. This guy gets one cute cuddly little furball that comes with very insane instructions (don't get it wet, don't feed it after midnight, etc) and hands it over to a 10 year old kid expecting the best without any supervision and within 30 minutes of the start of the movie..... yep, we've got tons of multiplying, out of control, totally ugly Gremlins terrorizing small town America. 

How many times have you gotten angry at someone and it started out as a justifiable anger - you were truly betrayed or wronged, you were rejected or hurt. You are a victim of someone else's issues, maybe even someone else's evil... It is in THAT moment that you are standing at a very important, perhaps life-changing crossroads - you must decide how you are going to react and how you react will determine whether you destroy your life by taking refuge in anger, or empower your life by letting forgiveness and wisdom lead you through this hurt and into the future God has for you. 

Jesus told us that it is possible to "be angry and sin not" - so we know that the emotion of being angry at someone who has wronged you is probably not sinful - but whether we allow anger to take root in our heart and thrive there,.... well, that is most absolutely where the gremlins of sin will reside and reek havoc in our relationships, destroy the joy and peace that God wants you to have, steal your health and your future, and ultimately, steal precious years off of your life.

If you are standing at a crossroads like this, now is the time to say NO to anger and to invite the Holy Spirit to comfort you and heal the hurt that you are feeling. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom in how to respond to this situation, and to help you to forgive those who have wronged you. Forgiveness and wisdom go hand in hand because even though we must always forgive, we need the wisdom to know how to proceed carefully and cautiously in the future in regards to the persons who have wronged us.

If you find yourself today filled with anger and unforgiveness, if your joy and sleep and peace have been stolen because of a hurt from long ago in your past, maybe it's been months, maybe years, it is not too late to turn around and go back to the path and future God has for you. Don't let anger rule you for even one more day. Get into the Word of God, start asking the Lord now for His wisdom and healing, and you can be confident that He will hear you and answer, every single time.