Daily Delight

Our world is an angry mess. Injustice. Deceit. Hate. We see the wrongs of our world and we get angry. The press and the invention of social media fuels our hot-tempered emotions. It splatters our screens with the latest acts of hate and violence while quoting and misquoting offensive words from high ranking officials or celebrities. We fight with our fists as well as our words. But oh, our battle of words has reached an ugly new level.The Apostle Paul urges us to not sin in our anger, to not let the devil gain that foothold in our hearts. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31 NIV). Does this mean it's wrong to be angry? Not at all-- our anger reveals our passion; it fuels our drive to make things right. But what we do with our anger is on us. When Paul says “don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26 NIV) and David says “In your anger, do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent” (Psalm 4:4 NIV), they are not telling you to let everything go. Rather, let the anger go, and find the root of the passion.The reason for and root of our anger implores us to work through our anger. This work redirects us to do what is right in a way that is right. David knows that to best search our hearts, we need to remove ourselves from the situation, find a nice quiet place, and seek the God in our hearts. What does He want us to do? How would He want us to act? We should be silent, not out of submission to the anger, but out of submission to Our God. Only in silence can we hear His voice, and His voice will lead us to action.Lord, the next time the world prompts our anger with anger of its own, help us to remember the words of your servants. Let us bring it to You, and seek Your counsel, not the worlds. Let us be slow to speak, letting the words that come out of our mouths be not of anger, but rather of kindness, of compassion, uplifting, and reflective of these hearts made new and guided by the Spirit. Let the world see You, Jesus, through our words and actions. 

About the Author

Jennifer Tanaka

Jenn is currently enjoying navigating the path as a mom of three with her husband of fifteen years. Born and raised in Honolulu, HI, she still resides in her home state, discovering and sharing the beauty of her Heavenly Father through writing and photography.

In the last two years, Jenn has been following her calling to write for women who, like her, are yearning to draw closer to Jesus. Leaving her full-time position in education, she now enjoys spending more time with her family and serving the women in her local and online communities.