Bible Talk: Biblical Commentary on Weekly Verses
How to overcome Irritation?
Well sure when life is going great and no one is getting on your nerves, it is easy to advocate for unity and maturity, acting with humbleness, gentleness, and patience. What do you do when it seems the world and everyone in it are doing everything to tick you off? Tonight, I chose this verse out of the intent to teach myself and hopefully help others as well. Irritation, anger, and sadness are often brought on by the negative actions and words of those around you or unjust circumstances. In Ephesians 4:2, it is written, "Be completely humble, gentle, and patient, bearing with one another in love". and the text even continues on verse 3, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace". Now if this sort of character was only expected of us when things were going well then so much "effort" would not be needed. I admit that this week was not my week and that I failed in being patient and keeping the peace, this is often a struggle of mine as I often advocate more for justice and what I believe to be right rather than keeping the peace. When you feel unheard or are faced with unjust or repetitive irritating situations, it's hard to remember what God asks of us and how he expects us to behave. You may even remember, but with the lack of patience and abundance of irritation taking over, we seem too weak to take the high road. Nothing truly beneficial comes from the words spoken or impulsive actions are taken when your heart is flooded with negative emotions. It is such an immense but common mistake to lean on our own forces and react emotionally rather than to stop and pray for God's guidance and strength.
The first thing we should recognize is that we are human and flawed and that we can't accomplish any good thing without the help of the Lord. God is love, and He is full of all the patience, humbleness, and gentleness you may need. Don't be a prisoner to these negative emotions and carry them throughout your day, it won't feel good and you'll be feeding a part of you that should be overcome. If every day our goal is to become more like Jesus, we have to pause and think how He would act and what He would say. Then we have to pray for help because even if we can imagine what should be done, we need the strength from the Lord to carry out his goodness. With the intent to be better and please the Lord, we should strive for the attainment and progression in the fruit of the Spirit which "is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..."(Galatians 5:22-23). Our journey in this world is a difficult one because we're surrounded by temptation and it's very rarely easy to do the right thing and make the right choices. But every right choice you make and every temptation you resist is a step in the right direction. If you fall, don't give up, simply ask the Lord for forgiveness and help; we were not promised an easy path, but we can trust in God to transform our hearts and lives if you let Him, and this path is the only one that leads to eternal life. As humans, it will be impossible to say, I won't be angered anymore, but work towards being irritated less easily, towards controlling your emotions when upset, and work towards stopping and asking the Lord for help and guidance so he can give you what you need to overcome a difficult situation. He can capacitate you to resist sinning when someone or something upsets you and overtime your heart will be far more at peace practicing the type of character the Lord wants us to have.
Peace for All
Of course, this peace for yourself is important and valuable but even more than that, it is our responsibility to put our efforts into maintaining peace for all because we are all part of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head and he wants us (his church) the body to function as well as possible. A well-functioning body is a healthy body, one that is rid of poison and negative sentiments, one in which all parts are working together without conflict. What is it worth being right and coming out on top if you end up hurting your brother or sister, if you end up damaging the peace between you? It is important to build and keep this peace because it is within this unity that you and your brothers and sisters can grow spiritually and be fortified against temptation and negative hate-based feelings. In the end, I want what is best for those I love, I want to practice the word of God, I want to practice love, and I want to have the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I know I cannot achieve any of this on my own, but I pray to the Lord that all who ask to be strengthened spiritually and to be fortified in the attributes the Lord asks of us, that the Lord may hear these prayers and allow the peace between us to grow as we learn from Him and His teachings. So remember, whenever you are feeling irritated, angry, sad, look to the Lord for comfort, pray to Him for help and strength, read the Holy Scriptures for guidance. With time, dedication, and connection with God, He can help you reap the fruit of the Spirit and overcome the tribulations of this world until we may live an eternal joyous life with Him.
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