The Seven Deadly Sins and Your Marriage - Day 2
WRATH
The dictionary defines “wrath’ as extreme anger or rage or fury. Wrath has always reminded me of an active volcano. The anger boils inside and builds and intensifies until it spews out all over everyone in its path. There is destruction. Big time destruction. Destruction that sometimes never can be repaired. That is wrath and when it happens in a marriage the result may be the end of the marriage.
Let’s back up a little. Let’s look at anger. Most of us would say that sometimes we get angry. We also know that anger in itself is not a sin. The Bilble tells us “in your anger do not sin.” I think that means if I am angry at Nancy that I need to be careful how I hangle my anger. If I yell at her or do something physical to her, I have sinned. If I ask her to sit down and talk through my anger with me, I have not sinned. See the difference?
But wrath is anger on steroids - unbridled, out of control, sinful. Wrath becomes punishing and really knows no boundaries. Have you ever been there? Do you know how you got there? My guess is that it bulit up over time - like the exploding volcano. A volcano can be inactine for a long time - a very long time. Yet, when it is inactive, all the ingredients for an explosion lie beneath that calm surface. As it heats up things begin to boil and finally explode. Honestly, that could be any of us. If we let things build, if we do not forgive, if we do not let go, we too can be active volcanos.
Are you harboring anger in your heart? If so, today is the day to deal with it before it gets out of control. The answer for anger is simple on one hand and extremely difficult on the other. The answer is forgiveness. In my experience it is the only answer. Some of you are saying, “Are you kidding? You do not know what they did.” You are right I don’t but I do know what unforgiveness can do to you. The anger can build and turn to rage and your wrath spews everywhere.
Try this. Take it before God in prayer. He knows everything anyway. Ask Him to guide you through the process of forgiveness. Forgiving might happen today or it may happen over time but it will happen and you might just have prevented an eruption that destroyed your marriage. Will you get on your knees and begin now?