Somedays the emotion of anger swells within and rages around my soul. Not angry at God, but angry at sin, satan, death.
Angry at death.
There has been times other people have challenged me to not have this emotion…. But page 74 in this book has given me so much freedom. Freedom to express my anger because Jesus too felt that emotion.
I’m angry that it feels death has won right now.
Death won by stealing my Aunt to soon from life with us. From life on earth.
This week anger has been very real, the emotion is just there.
I can’t fake it or pretend it is not.
There is freedom in proclaiming real emotion we feel over the death of a loved one, because Jesus came to give us LIFE and life abundantly.
“the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Satan came to steal, kill, and destroy.
God is the giver of life, NOT the taker of life.
That is why Jesus had the intense groaning of anger when Lazarus died, because inside Jesus, the life-giver, he was angry at the effects of sin of death, that stole life from his friends.
He wept and groaned, because this was not the way it was supposed to be… He never intended for us to live a life of death.
And when sin entered this earth, death entered.
Though death entered, Jesus never gave up on his people.
Jesus came to earth to redeem, restore and breathe life into a dying earth.
“while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own..” (titus 2:13-14)
In Jesus’ death and resurrection we find HOPE in the anger of our death. “…there is a day when the Son of God will shout again and the redeemed will come forth from their graves never to die again.” pg. 76, what to do on the worst day of your life.
Holy anger at death is OK.
I’m learning to walk through anger knowing Jesus is just as angry at sin and death stealing life from his people whom he loves. Because of Jesus I can weep and experience anger, but in and through anger it leads to hope.
“Hope is an active confident expectation of good based on the character of God.” -Gerry Breshears
Beautifully said and ACCURATE!