“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)
My friends gave me a manure spreader for a barn-warming gift. It is one of the best presents I have ever received. Manure is a big problem for horse owners. Unlike cow manure that can be used as fertilizer right away, horse manure is acidic and must decompose before being useful. At the barn where I boarded Trucker, piles of manure were left around the barn to compost for months before being raked into the pasture. Many times, it was dumped just outside the barn doors. It bred flies and smelled terribly. As a new barn owner, I knew that would make my neighbors mad, so it was not an example I wanted to follow. I did not know exactly which way to get rid of the manure, though, until the manure spreader came to my rescue. This cart attaches to the back of our riding lawn mower. Each day, I pull it up in front of the stalls, pick them clean, and throw the manure into the cart. When, I am done, I crank up the mower, drive a distance away from the barn, and turn on the spreader. As I drive around the pasture, the spreader breaks the manure up into fine pieces and drops it in a thin layer on the grass. Instant fertilizer! And, because it is so small, there is nothing left in which the flies can lay their eggs. Like manure, our anger must be disposed of properly. Anger is an emotion given to us by God when He created us. Used properly, anger rights wrongs, overcomes injustice and fights evil. Used improperly, anger hurts, scars and kills even the ones we love the most. Scripture tells us that Jesus grew angry over people misusing God’s House, adhering to the law instead of love, and being judgmental and proud. But, He gives us a living testament of how to make right choices when we are angry instead of ones we will regret later. Making an instrument of positive change in a world full of aching people instead of creating more hurt. Harsh words, physical abuse, cold shoulders, and chemical dependencies are just some ways we express our anger in ways that are not godly. Just as my manure spreader takes horse waste and turns it into something useful, if we tell God about our anger and give it to Him rather than harbor it inside ourselves or lash out at someone else, He will use it for good instead of evil. Instead of leaving it lay in the stalls or dumping it outside the barn, my manure spreader breaks up the pieces and lays it out far from the barn where the sun and rain wash it into the ground and make the grass to grow. Give God your anger today. Even as your tears wash it away, the light of His Son will turn it into healthy, new life without even an ounce of irritation to annoy you like a pesky buzzing fly.
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