Anger Over An Emoji

 “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19 NIV

The email that came yesterday was from one of my former students from several years earlier. The first sentence caught my attention: “Hi Nancy. I hope you are doing well,” it began, followed by “Because I am not!”

My mind immediately went to several scenarios. Is she sick? Or her husband or one of her three daughters? Have they experienced a financial loss? Does she need prayer? I quickly read on: “How could you do that to me? I was one of your students! You have known me since I was in kindergarten!” 

I found myself re-reading those last three sentences in confusion. Yes, I had known her for several years but after she and her family moved to the east coast,  our only communication consisted of comments on each other’s posts on Facebook. And that was the problem.

She continued: “On Facebook, I shared with everyone that my youngest daughter might have learning issues. I was worried about the tests she would need and the possibility of hearing aids as a baby. My friends are all sharing prayers and that they understood except for you. You hit the LAUGHING emoji! Why? As a nurse, you know how devastating hearing loss is, especially for a baby not a year old. You have broken my heart!”

I knew instantly what had happened. I am terrible at tagging the right emoji on Facebook. I have gone back so many times and changed what I had meant to convey from the wrong emoji to the right one when I remembered to put my glasses on. And what should have been an oops moment and a “good grief” at me instead became a huge issue to my student.

 

Immediately I sent back an email with “I am so sorry!” in the subject line. Then my explanation followed. “Please forgive me but I hit the wrong emoji. I meant to hit the caring one and want you to know that I have been praying for your daughter. I would never intentionally laugh at someone’s heartache or whatever they are going through. I am changing it right this minute. Again, please forgive me for not double-checking my response.” And I hit “send.”

That should have been the end of this unfortunate mistake but it wasn’t. I received four more emails from her over the next month outlining why it was important to send the right message with the right emoji (and links to articles written on that very subject). 

“I would never react in such an angry way if this happened to me,” I told myself. “I  would have shrugged and forgotten it because I would have known she had just hit the wrong image,” I reasoned. But, as He often does, the Lord reminded me of an incident in which I acted in the very same way as my student. 

A car had pulled up beside me at a stoplight. I was in the left turn lane and the woman beside me was in the lane that went straight ahead. But she didn’t. As the light turned green and I began my left turn, she also turned left. I came extremely close to hitting her. I  hit my brakes and allowed her to go in front of me to avoid a collision.  

 She did not hit me nor did I hit her. I’m not even sure she saw me.  It was not a big deal but the more I thought about it, the more I determined that she should have watched more closely where she was, which escalated to her needing glasses and ended up with her needing to lose her license! Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. I told three of my friends and made it sound like the Daytona 500 with me saving the day to avoid a fatal accident. Mercy!

Here’s what it comes down to: I am told in James 1:19 to be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Not in some conversations or situations but in all instances. As a Christian, as an example to those around me of Christ’s love, I need to listen to everything around me with both my eyes and my heart, refuse to respond in a negative way, and deny anger a place in my thought closet.  

I knew there was only one humbling solution to my sin: I went before the Lord to ask for forgiveness and then I went to my three friends and asked them to forgive me for my attitude, for speaking without thinking and for senseless anger. Those precious ladies all accepted my apology quickly and without judgment. 

Am I more careful about hitting the wrong emoji on Facebook? I am. But I am also very thankful for a woman who took a wrong turn at a stop light and a Father who knew I needed to be reminded that my reaction to this world must be in line with Him. 

Father, I want my life to reflect you. Forgive me when I forget that. Help me to throw out anything in my life that does not glorify you. In Jesus’s name Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever gotten angry over something that was completely unimportant?

• Why do you think you reacted as you did?

Apply

• Memorize James 1:19. Keep a notecard in your purse with that Scripture on it.

• When a situation happens and you are tempted to do the opposite of this Scripture, take a deep breath, remind yourself Who your Father is, and act like His child.

Power

• James 1:19 ( NIV) “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be 

            quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”

• Psalm 103:8 (NIV) “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

• Ephesians 4:2 (NIV) “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” 

Who Has the Answers?

  “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

 

Nursing school was a fantastic experience for me. No two days were ever the same. As students, we rotated through different aspects of the medical profession, from pediatrics to geriatrics, from surgery to emergency rooms. All areas were important in our training to become the most competent nurses that we could be.

  Early one morning we were observing a procedure and the physician was explaining through a protective mask what he was doing. I was at the back of the viewing area and could not clearly understand him, so I whispered to the classmate on my left “What did he call that type of suture?”

  Her answer did not make sense to me, so I turned to the right with the same question. That response was completely opposite from what I had just heard. I asked 3 or 4 more classmates and their answers were just as varied.

  Shaking my head, I turned to see our nursing instructor looking directly at me. “Now that you have asked everyone else, why don’t you ask the one who knows the answer?” she gently corrected me. And she was right. I had the expert - my instructor - in front of me and yet I tried to get my answer from everyone else.

  I hate to admit it, but there are times when I do that very thing in my spiritual life. I am faced with a situation or problem and instead of going directly to the One who has every answer, I instead look at other sources to help me.

  Here’s the question: would I do that with anything else in my life? For example, if my father was Mario Andretti and my car started making funny noises, who would I turn to for help? Or what if my father was Bill Gates and my computer crashed? Who would I trust with my computer files?

  In the same way, my Father is God and He should be my first source to find answers for everything I am facing. Yes, I know that great Christian resources are an encouragement, and the Holy Spirit will often nudge me to share with a Christian friend and prayer warrior. But my first thought should be one of “I need to take this to my Father.”

  Jeremiah 33:3 is a promise from the Lord. When He says “Call to me and I will answer you . . .” He encourages us to bring all our seemingly unsolvable problems and tough situations to Him because He has the answers. The right answers. 

  Jeremiah must have found that promise to be true in his own life because he spent more than 40 years faithfully going before God and then sharing His truth with a world that did not want to listen or believe.

  Just as I should have taken my medical question to my nursing instructor, I need to bring all my problems before my Father. He truly is the One who knows the answer.

  Father, there is no problem too big for you. Thank You for wanting me to share everything in my life with you and thank you for your answers. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• When you are confronted with a situation that needs a solution, where do you turn first for answers?  

• Do you ever think that your problem is too big for God to handle? Why or why not?

 

Apply

• Journal a situation or problem that you are facing today.  

• Beside that problem, journal three promises from the Lord in His Word that tell you He is able to handle everything that you face. Praise Him for His answers.

 

Power

• Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”  

• Psalm 34:17 (NIV) “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”  

• Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us . . .”

 

 

 

Are You A Boring Unimportant Tuba?

 “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts

are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

I Corinthians 12:12 (NIV)

 

Although my grandson Noah didn’t realize it, he taught me a great lesson about the role each Christian has as part of the body of Christ. I picked him up from school and as he loaded his tuba in my car, he commented “Ya know, Grandma. The tuba really doesn’t seem like it can do much. A note here. A note there.  Some people might think it’s kinda boring and not very important.”

  I smiled. “No, I don’t imagine that the sound of the tuba by itself seems very exciting.”  He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. But it has a unique sound. And the thing is,” he continued, “when the tuba and all the other instruments are being played together, the outcome is amazing!”

  Is that not the perfect description of the body of Christ working together to share Him with everyone around us? By ourselves, we may not think our talent is of any value. But combine it with the gifts of our brothers and sisters in Christ and we become bonded together with one significant focus: being the example of Jesus in a world that does not know Him.

  I Corinthians 12:12 addresses that very concept. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” There is much to learn here.

  First, just like the tuba, no matter how insignificant we think our contribution is to the Lord, He considers it to be a special part of the whole – His body. Our gifts and talents are different, yes, but they can all be used for Him. For example, I may not speak in front of large groups but I can visit one on one with those in the local nursing home. While I am not able to be a missionary in a foreign country as some do, I can share Jesus with those around me who do not know Him.

Even though obligations may keep me from going to areas destroyed by floods and hurricanes, I can help load a semi with badly needed items that people are desperate to have. And despite the fact that I may not be able to play a note on the piano, I can write a note of encouragement to someone who is struggling.

  Secondly, each band instrument has its own sound by itself and that sound is just fine. But when they are all played together in harmony, the result is a beautiful piece of music. In the same way, the members of the body of Christ must work together with their unique talents to share Jesus with everyone around them.

  So is a tuba boring and unimportant? Not at all. And neither is the talent that the Lord has gifted you as His child. When we work together, the result is a masterpiece for the Master.

 

Father, thank you for gifting each of us with different ways to share you with the world. Help us to work together as one body in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 

R.A.P. it up

Reflect

• Do you ever feel that your gift from the Lord is not as important as someone else’s gift?

• If so, do you consider your life to be of no value to the Lord?

Apply

• Journal all the ways you can serve those around you as part of the body of Christ.

• Invite Christian sisters to your home. Write down each person’s gifts and talents along with ways to work together to show Jesus to those around you.

Power 

• I Corinthians 12:12 (NIV) “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

• I Corinthians 12:27 (NIV) “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

• Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

The Silence

 “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” Revelation 8:1 (NIV)

  The discouragement on my friend’s face was visible the minute she stepped out of her car and walked up to meet me on the porch. She had called earlier and asked if she could come by.

  “What’s going on?” I asked her as I gave her a hug and invited her into the living room. She shook her head. “I just need to talk. I am so frustrated right now, all I want to do is cry” she continued and then shared a situation that, in spite of her prayers for several years, only seemed to have become worse and not better.

  “I’m beginning to think that, no matter how much I pray, it’s not going to change a thing. It’s almost like whatever is going to happen will happen, prayer or not,” she confessed through tears of discouragement.

  Have you ever felt that way? Uh-huh. Me, too. But Revelation 8:1 gives us a totally different picture of how much prayer means to God. In Chapter 8 of Revelation, John is describing what he is seeing in heaven after the seals have been broken on the scrolls that talk about human sin, violence, and God’s judgment. And then he shares in verse 1 that “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

  Silence in heaven? We know there is praising and singing and activity without end and yet John says heaven was completely quiet for 30 minutes. Why? What happened? If you continue reading verses 1 through 5, you will find that the reason it is totally silent is that someone is praying and all of heaven has stopped so the prayers of the righteous can be lifted up before God.

  I know we get caught up in looking at everything happening around us and wonder “Do my prayers really matter? Do they matter to God? Does He even hear me?”

They matter. And in Revelation, they matter enough to God that He stops everything going on in heaven for 30 minutes so prayers can be lifted before Him. Our prayers are heard. And they are answered.

  So don’t stop praying! Don’t stop going before the Lord with your concerns and problems and please don’t stop lifting up your unsaved loved ones to Him. Your requests are important enough to the Almighty Creator that He commands silence in heaven just for you.

Father, thank you for listening to our prayers because the requests and praises of your children are important to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like your prayers weren’t really being heard by God?

 

• When that happened, did you keep praying or decide it didn’t really matter?

  

Apply

• Make a daily time – if even just for a few minutes – when you are silent before the Lord.

 

• Then lift your prayers and praises to Him, knowing that He commands silence because of the importance of your prayers to Him.

 

Power

• Revelation 8:1 (NIV) “When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

 

• Psalm 145:18-19 (NIV) “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”

 

• Proverbs 15:29 (NIV) “The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”