Downward Spiral Scripture (Part 2) "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27 (ESV) Observation When you have an issue with another person, and the opportunity is available, deal with it as soon as possible. Do not take your anger away with you to fester and grow as you dwell on it and run it over and over in your mind as this is a downward spiral where you play out all sorts of scenarios in your mind invariably to get back at your offender. This is the devils playground where he will seek to escalate the situation into hate and discord. Given that many slights are imagined or exaggerated, and even if they are not, is it not worth taking a little time now to sort it out rather than the years of therapy later? True you will not always get the perfect result but once you have addressed it you can let it go. Application I am a quiet grump, in that when I am upset over something I go quiet, silent, closed door. This is bad. In any relationship there are issues that arise or crop up without having to resurrect old ones. I am learning to address these directly and quickly because the deeper I get into my quiet little world of woe the harder it is to get out again and the greater the damage to those around. I need to focus more on mopping up the little spills rather than waiting for a full scale disaster recovery. Note to self: deal with it then let it go! Prayer Dear God, you have cause for more righteous anger than all of us combined, yet you have offered us mercy and forgiveness before we even know that we need it. Help me to think more like you on this topic. The slights of this time and place are meaningless in the expanse of eternity.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 21:45:21 +0000