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December 22 When I met Vera today I was taken aback by her emotion. It seems she had gone back to the art store without me. Imagine that! Though I had never seen her angry before, it sure seemed like she was angry now. “The Red Dragon has been cast out of heaven,” she almost screamed at me. “Yes,” I replied, “and isn’t that great news?” I flippantly asked. “No!” she exclaimed. “He has come down to the earth with great anger.” “Let’s go take a look at what you are talking about,” I said. I could plainly see that she was right. And even more, she was not only angry, she was afraid. When we arrived and I began to look more closely at the lower part of the woodcarving, I understood. Oh yes, the Red Dragon had been defeated, forever disbarred from accusing us before God. That is good news! The bad news, however, is that the Red Dragon has invaded the earth, full of wrath, seeking to inflict all people with his fierce fury. The more I stared at this third carving and talked with Vera about it, the more I began to consider how diabolical anger is. Of course, anger doesn’t have to be destructive. It can be a tool, a warning sign that all is not well. However, as Vera began to release her pent-up anger, I began to realize that I too had never really learned how to appropriately deal with my anger, that chief weapon of the Devil. I thought about how, over the past few years, the disappointing things had begun to pile-up in my life — things like a miscarriage, failed expectations of myself and my co-workers, and a culture that was difficult to adapt to. Instead of dealing with this hurt and anger, I chose to suppress and ignore my angry emotions. In a moment I saw how what began for me as hurt had turned to anger, giving root to bitterness, which led to dis-ease, both physical and emotional. To say that a light-bulb went off would be an overstatement. Though Vera was talking while I was thinking about all these things, I suddenly blurted out, “Lord, Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner.” Vera looked surprised. I wasn’t really looking at her, much less talking to her. But she smiled and said, “Yes, isn’t it wonderful that Christ has come, giving us not only mercy but grace.” Indeed ... and isn’t that what Christmas is all about?! |
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