You know what’s worse than a bad day? When that bad day steals the next day too. Worse yet… when a bad day steals a week, months, or even years of our lives. It’s painful looking back over a season of life and realizing that you’ve wasted so much time being angry or hurt and all its done is left you broken. Was it worth all it cost? It never is.
Believe it or not, the Scripture speaks about this exact thought. The Scripture warns us: And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT). I’m embarrassed to admit… this is a deep struggle for me. Countless times I have felt the gentle encouragement of the Holy Spirit to deal with anger and to find healing in a day, only to brush it aside, push the anger down, and see it steal so many other moments from me.
Husbands and wives do it. Family and friends do it. Partners in ministry do it. Coworkers do it. We get angry, we refuse to forgive someone or deal with the hurt, and it snowballs into something it never had to be. This is why Paul warns us, inspired by the Holy Spirit (thus God warns us), to process anger so we don’t give a foothold to our greatest enemy.
Tonight as you are getting ready to sleep (or regardless of when you are reading this), what anger has given the devil a foothold in your life? The good news is that regardless of how “big” or “immovable” the anger has become or the hurt and brokenness that has come from it, you can find healing. It starts with a healthy realization that you are angry, you haven’t dealt with it, and it is stealing more and more from you.
Once you’ve been honest with yourself… the next step is to take your anger and frustration to God. Pray for guidance, healing, and His direction on how to find reconciliation, forgiveness, and true healing. It’s time for us to realize that we’ve made a proverbial mountain out of the molehill and that we’ve given the enemy a place to operate in our lives.
There is a story that I think encapsulates this thought well for me tonight, I hope God will speak to you through it.
A NEW SHEET,
He came to my desk with a quivering lip, the lesson was done.
“Have you a new sheet for me, dear teacher?
I’ve spoiled this one.”
I took his sheet, all soiled and blotted
and gave him a new one all unspotted.
And into his tired heart I cried,
“Do better now, my child.”
A NEW DAY,
I went/came to the throne with a trembling heart;
the day was done.
“Have you a new day for me, dear Master?
I’ve spoiled this one.”
He took my day, all soiled and blotted
and gave me a new one all unspotted.
And into my tired heart he cried,
“Do better now, my child.”
It’s time to find true healing regardless of what you are facing. The strength of Jesus is made perfect in our weakness and His grace is enough for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). If we will come to Jesus in our weakness, He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28).
