Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath.”
Guests were arriving for an extended stay, meaning I had to get my act in gear. The spare room required freshening, linen closets demanded organization, and the refrigerator screamed of a deep purge. Holding out the fridge till last, I drug the trashcan close in anticipation of tossing much of its contents. Items in front proved fresh and salvageable, but making my way to the dark recesses of the fridge, items became unrecognizable.
“Don’t open that lid,” I kept reminding myself. “You’ll be sorry!”
How was it possible for meals I once lovingly prepared to end up covered in green and purple slime? What was now overflowing our trashcan had definitely been kept well-past its shelf-life. Day by day, while no one was looking, bacteria grew and mold took over. Purging was necessary to avoid poisoning my family. So, out with the old to make room for the new.
Can anyone out there relate? (Please tell me I’m not the only one!)
Funny how our anger so emulates this scenario. Our anger can outlive its shelf life when we push it into the dark recesses of our hearts, allowing it to remain. Old anger turns toxic, making us ill. And like mold that renders our food unrecognizable and disgusting, anger produces an ugly version of ourselves. At this point, purging is necessary to make room for what is good: forgiveness, peace, and love.
But, anger can be constructive and void of sin. Godly anger over injustices can rally us to restructure broken relationships, lives, and societies. However, if we analyze our anger, how much godliness would we find? Truthfully, when it comes to holding a grudge, some of us church-going women can brag gold-medal status. We can continue stewing over an incident, a run-in, or a conversation until the cows come home. (I really have no idea exactly how long that is, but I understand from my grandmother it’s a long, long time!) As the sun goes down, we have succeeded in stewing ourselves into full blown anger, our stomach is in knots, and our sleep evades us.
Sound familiar? Paul offers noteworthy advice in his book to the Ephesians with, “Let not the sun go down on your wrath.” The scripture speak truth: anger left too long unchecked will spoil, poisoning our bodies and souls. So Sisters, let’s address our anger with mercy and grace while the sun still shines. Paul’s wise advice just might lead us to our most peaceful solution.
Father God, may we look for constructive ways to deal with our anger. May we use godly anger to call us to changes that glorify You.