One day this week our granddaughter asked my husband, “How come you never get mad? I’ve never seen you angry. How do you do that?”
We talked a bit about it. I told her about a seminar I went to where the leader said, “All anger is rooted in failing to get our own way.” I said that he made me realize that the problem was not with anger but with wanting my own way.
Actually, sometimes my way is okay. I want to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Nothing wrong with that. If something happened to prevent us from having his party this weekend, I would be disappointed. Depending on what it was, I might be angry, but most of us know the difference between something like that and being selfishly insistent with a “my way or the highway” attitude.
Today’s Bible verse is my example. Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. He knows He will soon be arrested and crucified. He takes Peter, James and John apart and asks them to pray. Then, “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Jesus never opposed the will of God; He wanted the same thing as His Father. But in His humanity He was not looking forward to experiencing divine wrath for the sins of the world. Could salvation happen another way? Maybe He was not asking that, only expressing the horror He felt for what lie ahead.
In any case, He yielded to the will of the Father. There was no conflict in His heart about that.
Not like me. Sometimes I don’t want the will of God, not because I know what it is, but because I am afraid of what it might be. If I would just stop and think about His character, His love for me, His wisdom, and His goodness, then I would not be so ornery.
Contentment and even the ability to not get angry lies in this. Do I know and trust God? Do I remember His ‘track record’ and how He has always had my best interests at heart? Or do I think I know better and fight Him? Is my mind set on my way, determined that I am right? Or can I yield to His will, even when I don’t know what it is, and even when I do know?
Yesterday I was praying for something that if God gave it, my life would be easier. The thought of it not happening was even a bit irritating. Then I realized my motives were selfish. I changed my prayer to “whatever is best” and give the results over to the wisdom of God; not my will but Thine be done. Not getting angry about things is about yielding my will, but even more, whenever anything or anyone tries to provoke me, I need to see it as a test of trust.
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