Blindness. In my early 30's I started developing a problem reading. There were days when I could not focus on words. It seemed like they were floating all over the page. I also got headaches when reading. I could not figure it out. I was visiting my parents who asked if I needed glasses and I responded, "No, I can see just fine." Thankfully, they scheduled an eye exam and the doctor told me my eyesight was diminishing. I would not believe it, until he gave me glasses to try. I was not blind, but I could not see clearly and I needed someone else to help me recognize my vision problem.
1 John 2:11 "Whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." Hatred and anger go hand-in-hand. In our anger we think that we see clearly - much clearer than most people. We are certain that we are right and just. All we see is our righteousness and the injustices done against us, but hatred and anger are blinding.
While we are blind to our anger and hatred, the people around us are not blind to it. They see it in us with clarity. Because they see it does not mean they will speak to us about our anger. They do not want to experience our wrath. But if we are humble and willing to listen without defending our behavior, they just might risk telling us the truth about our anger. In humility, we may even dare ask (be ready to have the truth exposed).
If we have the sin of anger, we typically respond one of two ways: denial ("I am not angry") or defense ("I have a right to be angry"). As Paul David Tripp says often, "We are blind to our sin and we are blind to our blindness." If we are beginning to see our anger, hatred, and self-centeredness, it is only because God, in His grace, is opening our eyes to its reality in our lives. He may use those close to you, those in your church, or those who are complete strangers to point out the sin of anger in our lives. We can be confident that just as He is faithful to reveal it, He has already made it possible for us to escape its grip on our hearts.
Do we have people around us pointing out the anger in our lives? Do we have people around us responding to us in anger? Do people seem to avoid us or refuse to ask for our input? Do we have children who are acting in anger? Do we have close friends who are angry? Do we have a track record of broken relationships? Then, we quite possibly, have an anger problem that we need spiritual sight and God's grace to identify in our own lives and to deliver us from.
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