miserable behaviour could be affecting your witnessing
thoughts on anger & faith
I know Christians who weren’t always super nice.
Yup.
I have seen them.
I have interacted with them.
And I wonder what happens when someone who isn’t a Christian interacts with them.
Do they want to follow Jesus when they meet Christians who behave like that?
I don’t want to judge, but I also hope to shine a little light on this under-reached topic. (Why aren’t we talking about this?)
…
I have gone to church so many times, and haven’t heard enough about, well, we will call them red emotions. Anger. Being mad. The choice of frustration. Complaining. The red hot ones.
Few pastors seem to speak about just how much impact, anger from Christians can have on things like testimony, or becoming a stumbling block. And I just have to wonder why? Why don’t we talk about this?
It’s not like it’s a secret that we get frustrated sometimes. We probably have all had a moment where we are late to church and… someone is mad! Someone is asking why you took so long in the bathroom, or why everyone wasn’t ready? (Anyone else know this feeling haha)
So why is it that we get to church and everyone acts like there was no hassle? Why is it that few from the pulpit are addressing what happened in the hours before church or after, during the week, when someone messes up, when someone’s expectations come with frustrations?
Perhaps, as a result of the lack of conversation, anger has slipped into so many lives, and has been a stumbling point.
I see so much anger from people who also say they know God, people who are on TV, or are prominent people. Anger isn’t always loud either, sometimes it’s generic in that capacity. Anger is in the way some people react to those who are different, who have made different choices, who support different causes. Anger is in the way some react to those on opposing sides of the political aisle.
Just because we have differences, doesn’t mean we have an excuse for anger!!
Anger, is something Jesus didn’t use wherever He went. He was frustrated in the temple, when people were engaging in business in a place of worship, it was there that he flipped the tables. Was he mad? Did he flip them just so that they couldn’t be right side up? Regardless, Jesus was spoken about a lot, for miracles, and kindness, and engaging in conversation and care with those who were different from Him. Cultural or personal differences were no excuse for anger for him, and they aren’t for us either.
When I see people who are supposed to represent Jesus, speaking bitterly or with red hot emotions, I wince a little inside. I think of those who don’t know Him, and I wonder if this is what they think Christians are like. I see this little nook, in a persons perspective where the enemy can try to slip anger in, leading to a break in character that can influence others.
What if anger is what is keeping some from finding faith?
What if people are confused about who Christians are?
It’s important to note then, that our character has impact.
How we treat others can have an impact greater than what we may currently grasp.
Simple interactions where we repay good for bad, and treat others better than what they may expect can have big impact.
What if a few sentences is all it takes for someone to see light in you?
What if a few sentences is also what it takes, when used poorly, for someone to be confused about what you represent?
Maybe, anger isn’t your stumbling point, maybe it’s the point of someone else, and they have had influence on you too.
That is so tough, to see others who are Christians who w often are displeased and miserable. It can really be draining, my prayer is that for you, what you have seen, what you have witnessed in the mistakes of others, it doesn’t have impact on your own faith, it doesn’t create a divide between you and happiness from Jesus.
My hope is also that when we drive to church with our own families, we change the pattern, we give grace, we aren’t so upset that we are late that we forget to be kind.
We look out for little moments, the nooks and crannies to love, moments when we voice chosen red hot emotions, but instead filled it in with bright yellow ones.
I hope we are able to represent Christ with such great goodness and light, and that even in day-to-day life, and frustrating moments when interacting with others, we find our ability through Jesus to soften things, to loosen up emotions, to spread love.
…
Remember,
It is a fallen world.
If you have ever interacted with someone who was rude and angry, I want to remind you, they are a work in progress too.
Jesus is Jesus.
They have faith yes, but they are also a human, a flawed person who needs grace (as we all do)
Please don’t let angry people come between you and the Lord.
In your heart, forgive, and go back to Jesus and let Him fill you up with love.
May we help others find the Lord with love, sharing it abundantly, as there is so much coldness out there!
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV
💭
LOVE,
TW