Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
It was in 1971 when this man lost his 4-year-old son through a failed heart transplant procedure. This friend reminded me that it was only in 1968 when Dr. Barnard first did the procedure which was still pretty new.
He shared how his brother never moved out of the anger stage of his grief, preferring instead to stay stuck in anger all the rest of his days in life. He said his brother refused to go to church thereafter, hated people instead and wouldn't talk to him because he was a 'Jesus freak.'
He even refused to consider the blessings of having 4 more children, preferring to focus continuously on the loss of his son. By sharing this story, I want everyone to know just how incredibly toxic anger is for people.
Besides the horrific health issues from the hardening of the arteries resulting from addictive smoking to psoriasis of the liver caused by abusive alcohol consumption, anger causes the breakdown in marriage communication and prevents that person from having normal relationships with spouse and his surviving children.
In many cases, children grow up insecure and anxious regarding making healthy choices as adults. Thus, the original anger from one person can lead to generational sin where future generations would never know the origin of their anger. I'm reminded by the verse from Ephesians 4: 31-32 which says,'
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.'
Our ability to forgive those who we perceived have harmed us in some way will ultimately help us to heal from our anger and lead us down a much healthier path in life.
In our family's situation, there was great healing that resulted when we sat down with our daughter's doctor remembering the special little girl Maria was and forgiving each other for a procedure that didn't give us the outcome we desired.
It was as though Jesus, Himself, lifted our anger out of us and replaced it with peace, tranquility, and a vision that heaven is real and when our lives are complete we will see her again.
If you are dealing with anger for some wrong that was done to you or to a family member, would you picture Jesus on the cross as he took the blows for you just so your sins can be forgiven and you can experience true freedom and assurance of eternal life? If God could forgive you then why wouldn't we forgive others?
One of the greatest joys of living is being able to have a personal relationship with God because of the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. To think that we have a God in heaven willing to listen to our prayers of whatever is ailing us is truly amazing.
If you are struggling to get out of the anger stage of your grief, you may want to consider finding a 13-week grief share group near you. Grief share will teach you how to go through the pain of your loss, not around it. Https://griefshare.org
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