The Needles of Anger
Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. – Ephesians 4:26-27.
Ann Sage over a period of several years suffered a debilitating breakdown, both physically and mentally. The doctors thought Ann’s problems were all in her mind until she had an x-ray. The cause of all of her suffering was discovered to be a very small sewing needle that was stuck in her groin. Ann believes the needle became lodged there when she was 11 years old, she remembers injuring herself while jumping on an old mattress. Since the discovery of the needle, she has had a three-hour operation to remove it, and since then her health has dramatically improved. Ann who is 43-years-old says about her ordeal, “I just felt awful. It felt like I had the flu all the time. I could hardly walk and my balance wasn’t very good. I had a breakdown in the end. I couldn’t stop crying. It was so frustrating and I was frightened and I just felt so ill. I hardly left the house.”
Anger that lingers in our hearts and minds can become like Ann’s tiny sewing needle. Paul tells us, really warns us, not to hang onto our anger because we will “give place to the devil.” When we hang onto our anger it creates an opportunity for the devil to create problems in our lives. Anger evolves into other more damaging emotions such as rage, malice, and bitterness. In the final evolution of anger, we will see the development of mental and physical problems. Our thinking will become warped, and our actions will be twisted by holding onto our anger.
If we want to be free of anger, and all of its manifestations, then we must seek the Lord’s help. He will enable us and empower us, to forgive. Through the power of God we can forgive, turn the other cheek, and go the extra mile. Through the power of God instead of anger, rage, malice, and bitterness; we can have love, joy, peace, and patience. So tonight before you go to sleep, check and see if there are any little needles of anger that need to be pulled out. You’ll sleep much better without them.
(Paul tells us, really warns us, not to hang onto our anger because we will “give place to the devil.”)