Devotion: Are We Different?
Are We Different?
Please read the scripture from the weekend: Proverbs 29:8,11
As Christians, are we any different than our fellow Americans in this Age of Outrage? Do we only respect political viewpoints that are like ours and reject those that aren’t? Do we only watch or listen to “news” programs that assure us our viewpoints are the only correct ones? Do we spread “information” we haven’t verified because it supports our beliefs? Do we call names and make accusations about someone – even a friend — who disagrees with us?
We are called by God to be different – to be better. Proverbs 29:8 tells us “The wise turn away anger.” Colossians 3:8 expands on this: “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth.” And the Eighth Commandment is very direct: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”As Christians, we are in no way exempt from the anger and hate that permeate our daily life. We may want to ignore it, pretend it doesn’t exist in our world or wish or even pray that it would go away. Praying for a kinder world is certainly Biblical. But God’s word also calls us to be about the work of making this happen.
We can begin by looking for the outrage within. My home has a landline telephone and 90 percent of the time, I answer the phone to find Robo Callers or somebody selling something on the other end of the line. These intrusions make me irritable – how dare these unknown callers interrupt my precious time? I struggle to be polite and patient when I answer if there’s a real person on the other end of the line (and especially if the caller thinks I’m ready for a walk-in bathtub).
I have had to ask myself why I let these random calls influence my day. Why do I give them the power to drain my emotional reserves? What if instead, I regarded them as a fact of life: you own a phone, you get unwanted calls — no big deal. Respond with grace and move on.
This small step in controlling my anger has helped me consider what might be triggering the anger of people I encounter, and to listen with more empathy than I otherwise would. It is a start toward putting away anger.
Heavenly Father, save us from this time of trial, this time of outrage. This is not how you want us to live. Show us steps we can take to put away our anger. Help us to show the love of Christ to everyone we meet. Amen.
Written by Cheryl Stubbendieck
Cheryl Stubbendieck is a member of Sheridan’s Devotion Writing Team. She leads the Wednesday morning Women’s Bible Study and she and her husband Jim are the editors of a quarterly journal about vintage side-by-side shotguns. Their family includes their son Aaron and his wife Chaitra and grandson, Theo, of Houston, TX, and their son Reed of Madison, WI.