Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah Psalm 4:4
This angry is the sort of thing that happens all day long. It means “agitated” or “frustrated,” and lots of things during the day can trigger this anger in my heart and mind, justly or unjustly.
But. Do not sin. Mostly this agitation or frustration leads me down two paths of sin. Well, three paths. First, that of unlove. Man, it’s so easy to label others nicely and neatly like with one of those twirly things with the plastic strips. Punch it out, peel it off and paste it on their forehead and stick them on a nice tidy shelf of my soul. Tucked away in a dark corner, to be covered with cobwebs and dark creepy things, away from the mercy so freely offered to me by my LORD. Or worse, sometimes I allow this neatly marked package to fester and rot and stink up my whole life, poisoning not only that particular relationship, but all areas of my life, particularly my relationship with God. Well am I admonished to leave my gifts to God in front of the altar and first go and be reconciled to my brother; then come and offer my gift. Because they will not be accepted if I harbor this embittered anger in my soul, fueled by the flames of hell itself. Hell, by definition, is separation from God.
This angry is the sort of thing that happens all day long. It means “agitated” or “frustrated,” and lots of things during the day can trigger this anger in my heart and mind, justly or unjustly.
But. Do not sin. Mostly this agitation or frustration leads me down two paths of sin. Well, three paths. First, that of unlove. Man, it’s so easy to label others nicely and neatly like with one of those twirly things with the plastic strips. Punch it out, peel it off and paste it on their forehead and stick them on a nice tidy shelf of my soul. Tucked away in a dark corner, to be covered with cobwebs and dark creepy things, away from the mercy so freely offered to me by my LORD. Or worse, sometimes I allow this neatly marked package to fester and rot and stink up my whole life, poisoning not only that particular relationship, but all areas of my life, particularly my relationship with God. Well am I admonished to leave my gifts to God in front of the altar and first go and be reconciled to my brother; then come and offer my gift. Because they will not be accepted if I harbor this embittered anger in my soul, fueled by the flames of hell itself. Hell, by definition, is separation from God.
Those destructive flames of hell are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible as well. Those which set ablaze the tongue. Nothing like taking an offense or frustration complete with embellishments and dug deep resentments, and spread this pain far and wide so that it can rot and fester in other souls as well. Not so good.
The third path of sin is that of ... not resting, not trusting God to be at work through all circumstances with humility and peace. This is not to say that I am to scramble into a dark passive hole to wait and wait, si Dios quiere. There is a freedom in the pondering, to mull and to consider, but to be silent in the sense of telling the Almighty exactly where He is screwing up and what in blazes is He thinking of anyway.
Back to my ocean wave of a few days ago, because even more than the energy and excitement of trying to catch a wave into shore, my very favorite playa moments in Costa Rica this summer were the floating moments... drifting, dangling, as the water supported me, gently swaying back and forth in the great potent swelling, in silent confidence. Selah.
The third path of sin is that of ... not resting, not trusting God to be at work through all circumstances with humility and peace. This is not to say that I am to scramble into a dark passive hole to wait and wait, si Dios quiere. There is a freedom in the pondering, to mull and to consider, but to be silent in the sense of telling the Almighty exactly where He is screwing up and what in blazes is He thinking of anyway.
Back to my ocean wave of a few days ago, because even more than the energy and excitement of trying to catch a wave into shore, my very favorite playa moments in Costa Rica this summer were the floating moments... drifting, dangling, as the water supported me, gently swaying back and forth in the great potent swelling, in silent confidence. Selah.
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