Day 8 in the Wilderness: Don’t let anger or frustration make you break what is precious.

“And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32:15-16, 19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you ever even heard of an “anger room?” I hadn’t either, until I saw that there is one in the Atlanta area! What am I referencing? Well, you may have heard about “escape rooms” where people go for entertainment as an individual or a group. In these rooms you solve different riddles to make your way out of the room.

Alternatively, an “anger room” is a place you can go (for a price) where they have a room filled with breakable objects you can destroy to “vent” your frustration/anger by breaking stuff. Supposedly this will enable you to get relief (“catharsis”), without having to experience the consequences: loss of a valuable item, having to clean up a mess, and so on. However, I have my doubts as to whether you can “vent” in that way without experiencing consequences. Indeed, “research has shown” that venting anger or frustration by breaking stuff actually tends to increase the anger or frustration level. With that, I don’t much care what the world system decides is profitable or not profitable in terms of behavior; I am more desirous of what God says. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

No doubt, people do ridiculous things when they get under pressure and haven’t learned to express it or cope with it in righteous ways.

I saw some answers to a survey questioning: “What is the most expensive thing you’ve ever broken when you were angry?” One guy said he had broken a $300 weed-eater; another person had put a dumbbell through a wall; several people had broken iPhones. It seems to make no sense; and yet, here we are.

Several years ago I remember being frustrated and pressed by a very stressful situation. Without thinking twice about it, I reached up and grabbed the hair above each of my ears and pulled it out. I had heard the reference to “pulling your hair out,” used as a way to express frustration; but it never occurred to me to do it. Yet, I did it and was left with gaping holes above each ear. Needless to say, this did not help my frustration and despair. However, for me it was kind of a “wakeup call”that I needed to deal with things differently. Now, this was an isolated incident for me (well, I did throw a plate once, creating an awful mess to clean up), as I generally internalized angst, anger, and frustration which would come out in physical symptoms. I don’t have shame over those types of displays as I repented before the Lord and received forgiveness. But as I said, this type of an outburst showed me my need for change. And—by the grace of God—I don’t allow frustration to get to that level; and if it does, by the grace of God, I now deal with it very differently.

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I said earlier that I care more about what God has to say about how to deal with anger/frustration. Now, we know that the Word tells us that a person given to venting their anger, is likely to face calamity.

“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭25:28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And—speaking of calamity—today we see that Moses—having been confronted by the rebellion of the people—“loses it” and breaks what had been fashioned from the very hand of God. As we know, this tendency was never really conquered in him. But I get it, I have no stones to throw (no pun intended); it’s a tendency packed into our human frailty. But God has an answer for it.

Ultimately, control over such impulsive actions of “venting” must be conquered by the Holy Spirit within us. Only He can give us the control we need in times of great pressing. And, back to my own “lapses,” I am now more likely to vent by praying in the Spirit…sometimes, loudly!

Tomorrow we’ll see what Moses did to make it right.

For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:

Don’t let anger or frustration make you break what is precious.

#40daysinthewilderness