“Above the Anger”with Samantha Tucker
Here I was, yet again, with half a tissue box and bloodshot eyes on a Monday night. Sometimes I feel confident to wrestle my resentment when I know I will never win this fight with my unwanted memories. With each breath, my heart aches more; like there is a 15-pound dumbbell resting on my chest. How can words hurt this much?
“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”Proverbs 15:4
When we speak with no intention of godly love or guidance to others, our words can feel like hellfire. The mouth is a dangerous weapon that we must learn to tame. Many of us learned at an early age the consequences of our outspoken tongue. So being a child, we learned and applied that disciple into our life to hold our tongue, but when did we start letting that discipline go?
As I grew from a teenager into an adult I began to realize the emotional and physical effects of words. Let me ask you a question: does your spirit feel more at peace when someone speaks to you kindly or speaks directed towards you in anger?
The words you speak, no matter how insignificant they may feel to you, can mean a interlay different thing to another. Speaking biblical truth, godly love, and genuine guidance is how God instructs His children to speak to themselves and each other. God tests each of His children every day, many of those times is a test of a reaction. When you are hit with the unexpected will you retaliate in words of anger or will you pause, and speak kindly?
In today's world, we see hateful comments on every single social media platform. In the eyes of society, it is normal to verbally bash others, it is normal to spew only anger and judgments. The selfish normalcy of the world is not from God. Our sinful society is based on the one principle: anger of any kind is righteous. If we, as believers, ever stumble into this ideology categorizing this as truth, we will be walking in a dead zone.
Anger never attracts good company. When we allow space in our hearts to dwell in anger, we will begin to leave that bruise on others we love. We must speak kindness and biblical truth back into the world, especially in times when we are full of frustration. Today, ask for God to fill your spirit in the fruits of the spirit in times of displeasure caused by another.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
