Tonight at bible study, we went through the end of Matthew 5 (21-48). Those of you bible nerds (aka everyone who reads this blog...yes YOU!) may know off hand that this is the sermon on the mount. You know the drill-- don't be angry, don't commit adultery, don't use God's name when making a promise, love your enemies.
We broke up into small groups and talked a lot about the beginning of that passage: the stuff on anger. This wasn't the point of the discussion, but my thoughts turned immediately to my brother, and I felt ashamed. I've been angry at him for a long time, and over time, the anger has turned to indifference, which is probably worse. Dave claimed that anger towards someone is equivalent to wishing that they were dead.
Seriously?
Crap. Now, I don't really think this is true, but it definitely gave me a new perspective on anger. If you think about it in this extreme way, you would never want to be angry at anyone!
Not only does anger separate you from whomever you are angry with, but it separates you from God. In our relationships with others, we grow in our relationship with God. Anger prevents me from showing God's love to others, especially from loving my brother, and I need to work on that situation asap.
Another really good thing about the night was that I feel like the bible study is really becoming my own - rather than me just tagging along with Amanda. There was definitely a barrier because I don't go to church with these kids which meant less of an opportunity for me to get to know people in the post-college group. But I had a really good conversation with one of the guys in the group tonight, and I thought it was awesome that we both felt comfortable enough to have a meaningful talk about God.
Wow, today has been such a good day.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Go now, you are forgiven
Posted by Erin at 10:42 PM
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1 comments:
i can relate with the anger thing. i had a lot of anger toward my older sister in high school and the beginning of college. it took me awhile before i noticed how my anger toward her wasn't just driving a wedge between us, it was driving a wedge between me and God too because i wasn't loving. the last couple years have been a struggle and its taken some time for me to forgive her and for her to forgive me...but i'm so glad that God revealed that problem to me because i have had a wonderful time being friends with my sister and i'm so lucky to have her.
All that is to say, you can do it!
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