Participants:
Series Code: AU
Program Code: AU000109S
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00:00 - Have you ever blown your stack
00:01 and then almost immediately regret it? 00:04 Maybe you hate the way 00:05 that some things make you angry 00:07 even when you don't really want to be. 00:09 Today we're gonna take a look at that. 00:12 [gentle music] 00:22 [gentle music continues] 00:32 We're gonna revisit a subject we've already touched on, 00:35 and that's anger and how you should deal with it. 00:38 And I guess the reason I'm coming back to this 00:41 is because I've noticed a distinct trend. 00:44 The collective temperature here in the west 00:46 appears to be rising. 00:47 People are more frustrated than I've ever seen, 00:50 and I don't think I'm alone in noticing this. 00:53 And I suspect it has the potential 00:55 to become a big problem very quickly. 00:58 Collective anger has a way of boiling over 01:00 into serious problems for everybody. 01:04 Not that it's the same thing, but some years ago, 01:07 I was visiting a prison in Rwanda 01:09 where they were holding a lot of the people 01:11 who participated in the genocide against the Tutsis. 01:15 It was about 10 years after the atrocity, but of course, 01:19 the whole nation was still reeling 01:21 from those unspeakable events. 01:24 In fact, I encountered a number of places 01:27 around that country where the bodies of unidentified victims 01:30 were still piled up in makeshift crypts, 01:33 because when you slaughter almost a million people, 01:37 it's hard to deal with the aftermath, 01:39 especially if you're in a country 01:41 that just doesn't have a lot in the way of resources. 01:44 And again, that's not really comparable 01:47 to the rage I see sprouting up here in North America, 01:50 at least not yet. 01:52 But I also know that basic human nature 01:55 is about the same all over the planet, 01:57 and it really should bother us that more and more 02:00 of these so-called protests in the streets, 02:03 seem to be erupting into physical violence. 02:06 Historically speaking, we've discovered 02:09 that it's a big mistake to say that it can't happen here 02:12 because it can. 02:14 Witness the two different riots in LA, for example, 02:17 and you might remember how quickly those got out of control. 02:20 And then of course, we've got the American Civil War 02:23 and the French Revolution, 02:25 both of which became literal bloodbaths. 02:28 You and I are fooling ourselves if we think 02:30 that our generation is immune to this stuff. 02:33 We are, after all, still human beings, 02:36 and we've got thousands of years of written history 02:38 to remind us that no generation so far has been immune. 02:44 Of course, I'm not suggesting that we're sitting 02:46 on the verge of an actual genocide here in North America, 02:49 but when our collective rage appears to keep growing, 02:53 it probably warrants our attention. 02:55 And so I've decided to come back 02:57 to the subject of anger one more time. 03:00 The last time we talked about this, 03:01 we discovered that anger itself is not actually wrong. 03:04 It's a perfectly valid human emotion. 03:07 The problem we face, however, 03:09 is that our human moral compass is broken 03:11 and our personal anger tends to emerge 03:13 from a place of selfishness 03:16 to the point where righteous indignation is incredibly rare. 03:21 We also saw that God himself is capable of anger. 03:24 The Bible talks about it clearly, 03:26 and we studied what kinds of things 03:28 might actually cause that. 03:30 We looked at Mark, chapter three, 03:32 where Jesus became quite angry about the way 03:35 that religious authorities were standing in the way 03:37 of a man who needed God's help. 03:40 And knowing what I know about human nature 03:42 and what the Bible teaches about the character of God, 03:45 I would have to say that Jesus would be the only person, 03:49 the only human being, who ever experienced anger 03:52 that wasn't tainted by selfishness or sin. 03:56 It was the kind of anger you find in the fourth Psalm 03:58 where it says, "Be angry and do not sin." 04:03 Now I don't know about you, but when I get angry, 04:06 I fall dramatically short of that standard 04:08 because even though it might've been justified 04:11 at the very beginning when I first got mad, 04:13 when I first felt the indignation, 04:16 it always ends up being about me, my wounded pride, 04:19 my inconvenience, my whatever. 04:22 And I'm pretty sure the same is true for you. 04:24 In fact, I know it is 04:26 because you are also a fallen human being. 04:30 The only example we have of holy, blameless anger 04:35 would be Jesus. 04:37 But that also means that you and I 04:38 have an important reference point 04:40 for gauging our own emotions 04:42 and we find a way that we can improve. 04:45 God's anger, if you look at it carefully, 04:47 is never about self. 04:49 Typically, he's angry 04:51 because somebody stood between the people he loves 04:54 and the mercy he wishes to put on display for them. 04:57 In the case of Pharaoh, which we looked at last time, 05:00 God becomes angry about the way his people are treated 05:03 and he's angry about the fact that Pharaoh won't stop. 05:07 And it's not just the Egyptians. 05:09 If you read your way through the entire Old Testament, 05:12 you'll also find God getting angry with his own people. 05:16 Why? 05:17 Well, they were supposed to be a light to the Gentiles, 05:20 but instead of accomplishing that mission, 05:22 they became focused on self and ended up emulating 05:25 their pagan neighbors instead of actually helping them. 05:29 They had actually become a barrier to God's intended work. 05:35 And you'll notice, the same was true when Jesus got mad. 05:38 The religious know-it-alls 05:39 didn't care about a man who needed his help. 05:42 So it seems that that's what it takes to make God angry. 05:47 In fact, listen to this amazing passage 05:49 from Exodus, chapter 22, where it says this, 05:54 "You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, 05:57 for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. 06:00 You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. 06:03 If you do mistreat them and they cry out to me, 06:06 I will surely hear their cry and my wrath will burn." 06:12 One of the key differences between your anger 06:15 and God's anger is that God actually gets angry 06:18 on behalf of the people we hurt, and it's not about self. 06:22 And as a father, I kind of get this. 06:25 If somebody hurts my kids, 06:27 I get pretty hot under the collar. 06:29 But at the same time, can I honestly say 06:32 that my anger is completely untainted by sin? 06:36 No, and you can't say that either, 06:38 because at the end of the day, 06:39 your fallen heart is always gonna make it about you, 06:42 at least a little bit. 06:45 Now again, that doesn't mean you should never feel angry 06:48 because of course you should, 06:50 but it's how you do it that matters. 06:53 The wrong kind of anger not only hurts other people, 06:56 it also takes a pretty big toll on you. 06:59 In fact, Harvard researchers concluded 07:01 that people who get angry a lot 07:03 are about five times as likely to have a heart attack 07:06 and three times as likely to suffer from a stroke. 07:10 Why? 07:12 Well explosive anger often puts us in fight or flight mode, 07:15 the same kind of high intensity experience you get 07:18 when you run into a hungry mountain lion. 07:20 Your body goes on high alert, which is a good thing, 07:24 because you've been designed with an instinct to survive. 07:27 The surge of adrenaline is what gives you the energy 07:30 to either fight the animal or move yourself away from it. 07:35 But what's happening here in the West 07:37 is that we've abused that natural mechanism. 07:40 Our stress levels keep rising 07:42 because we're living artificially. 07:44 We have high paced lives 07:46 that generate the fight or flight mechanism 07:48 far more often than it's supposed to go off. 07:51 It happens more often 07:53 and it lasts a lot longer than it was supposed to. 07:57 And when anger becomes one of your go-to outlets 08:00 for dealing with that stress, 08:02 it taxes your system in really brutal ways. 08:06 Plus, if you're getting angry the wrong way, 08:09 it keeps the focus on self, 08:11 your needs, your wishes, your desires, 08:14 and it does that in a way 08:16 that amplifies your ego in all the wrong ways. 08:20 Remember, in the Bible, 08:22 righteous wrath appears to be about others, 08:25 but our anger tends to be about self. 08:29 Of course, another key problem 08:31 is the seemingly involuntary nature of anger. 08:35 I don't know about you, 08:36 but I'm not always in control of when I get mad. 08:39 Sometimes the pot just starts boiling 08:42 before I've even had time to think about it. 08:44 The adrenaline starts pumping and I start to get irrational. 08:48 I mean, there's a reason 08:50 we sometimes refer to anger as losing your cool. 08:54 And I don't know about you, 08:55 but one of the things I hate most about getting mad 08:58 is that when it's over, I know I lost control 09:02 and I don't like losing control 09:04 because it can lead to regret. 09:06 Just think about how often you have replayed 09:08 what happened in your brain the next day, 09:11 wondering what you might've done to get a different outcome. 09:14 It's not unlike seeing a video 09:17 that someone took when you're drunk. 09:18 You can't believe that's really you, 09:20 doing and saying all those idiotic things, 09:23 but there's the proof, large as life, 09:26 and it happened because you chose to abandon self-control. 09:30 Something similar happens when you get angry. 09:33 The adrenaline pumps, your heart races, 09:35 your peripheral vision narrows, 09:37 and you begin to react to the situation 09:40 as if your life depended on it. 09:42 But of course, 09:43 it wasn't actually the emergency that your anger suggested. 09:47 I'll be right back after this. [gentle music] 09:53 - [Announcer] Here at "The Voice of Prophecy," 09:55 we're committed to creating top quality programming 09:56 for the whole family, like our audio adventure series, 09:59 "Discovery Mountain." 10:01 "Discovery Mountain" is a Bible-based program 10:03 for kids of all ages and backgrounds. 10:06 Your family will enjoy the faith-building stories 10:08 from this small mountain summer camp, and down. 10:11 With 24 seasonal episodes every year 10:14 and fresh content every week, 10:16 there's always a new adventure just on the horizon. 10:22 - For most of us, angry feelings are kind of involuntary. 10:25 You didn't really want to get mad, it just happened. 10:28 You don't enjoy the way that anger 10:30 compromises your capacity for rational thought, 10:33 but it's not like you wanted this to go down. 10:36 Something interesting happened after the Roman Empire 10:39 officially legalized Christianity, 10:41 cities where the faith had been prohibited, 10:44 were suddenly alive with preachers, 10:45 and so there were some Christians who figured 10:48 that the cities had already been conquered for Christ. 10:52 The Devil obviously had been run out of town. 10:55 So what did these people do? 10:57 Well, some of them chased the Devil into the wilderness 11:00 to keep fighting against him, 11:02 but when they got into the desert and moved into their caves 11:05 or climbed up on top of their poles like Simeon Stylite, 11:09 they found a much more difficult enemy, 11:12 because there's something about quiet solitude 11:15 that strips away the distractions 11:17 that keep you from struggling 11:18 with the truth about your own fallen nature. 11:21 It's just you and your thoughts out there, 11:23 and the flaws in your character suddenly present themselves 11:26 like a fire breathing dragon at the back of the cave. 11:30 One history I read talks about a poor Abbott 11:33 who ended up wrestling with his own anger problem 11:36 for 14 years. 11:40 It just doesn't take long for most of us to realize 11:42 that we have religious alternatives, 11:44 these ways we try to quiet our conscience 11:47 when it reminds us that we have a fundamental flaw. 11:50 Some people will choose to believe 11:52 that sin really isn't all that bad. 11:54 I mean, surely God is just too nice 11:56 to be upset by the way I behave. 11:59 Other people turn to the prosperity gospel, 12:01 assuring themselves that what God really wants in this world 12:04 is to make you rich and successful. 12:06 And then some people convince themselves 12:08 that what God wants most 12:10 is for you to support a particular political candidate, 12:13 or he wants you to latch onto 12:15 the most recent conspiracy theory. 12:18 There's no shortage of religious distractions, 12:20 and in the short run, all of these things are an easy way 12:23 to avoid confronting the shame you feel 12:26 when you suddenly begin to see yourself 12:28 the way you really are. 12:31 There are people who try to avoid that moment 12:33 by picking up a religious checklist, 12:35 trying to prove themselves to God, 12:36 making check marks every time they believe their behavior 12:40 vindicates an imaginary goodness. 12:42 They remind themselves, 12:44 I really took a moral stand in that business meeting. 12:46 I gave all my neighbors a gift basket for the holidays. 12:49 I donated money to this or that. 12:53 It's a list of worthy causes. 12:54 I mean, those are all things we should all be doing, 12:57 but if that's your focus, 12:59 you never get to the root of the problem. 13:00 You're still avoiding the truth about you. 13:04 So maybe let's ask a really important question. 13:06 Where does anger come from? 13:08 Why do you find yourself frustrated 13:10 when the words and deeds of other people 13:11 cut across the plans you've been making? 13:14 Most of us are able to convince ourselves 13:16 that if the people who made us mad would go away, 13:19 our problem would be solved. 13:21 But I can promise you that doesn't work. 13:23 I mean, sure, getting away from problem people 13:26 really can make life easier, 13:27 and there are times you need to do that for your own good. 13:30 There are. 13:32 Sometimes there are people 13:34 you have to remove from your life. 13:36 That's just true. 13:38 But the core of the problem 13:39 can follow you if you don't understand it. 13:42 The wrong kind of anger 13:43 is simply one of those horrible side effects 13:45 that come from being fallen. 13:47 It turns out that sin 13:48 is more than just a list of naughty deeds, 13:50 it's more like a devastating rip in the fabric of your soul. 13:55 You and I don't just commit sin. We are sinful. 13:59 It's a fatal and tragic flaw, and it makes a mockery 14:02 of what human beings were supposed to be 14:04 when God first dreamed us up. 14:07 In order to conquer the dragon of rage, 14:09 you're gonna have to identify it 14:10 and call it out for what it is. 14:12 Of course, that's an idea that most of us hate, 14:15 the thought that we have personal problems. 14:16 It's easier to lay the blame on somebody else. 14:20 But you're just stalling. 14:22 You're avoiding the confrontation you really need, 14:24 and that's an honest look at yourself. 14:27 Let's take a look at the story of Cain 14:29 because at the very moment, 14:31 when that story begins to reveal 14:32 Cain's deep-seated pride and jealousy, 14:35 God suddenly confronts him and gives him an opportunity 14:38 to look in the mirror to see the real problem. 14:41 Here it is now from Genesis, chapter four, 14:45 "The Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry, 14:47 and why has your face fallen? 14:49 If you do well, will you not be accepted? 14:51 And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. 14:55 Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.'" 14:59 Now, that's a really good question, don't you think? 15:02 Why are you angry? 15:03 Try asking yourself that question the next time 15:06 you feel your temperature rising. 15:08 Step out of the fray for a moment. 15:10 Shut off all the external noise, get by yourself, 15:13 and then study the nature of your frustration. 15:16 Why does it make you so mad? 15:18 Has somebody really violated your dignity, 15:21 or is some of what you're feeling 15:22 based on your imagination and amplified by pride? 15:26 "If we say we have no sin," the Bible reminds us, 15:29 "we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 15:33 Until you make things right, until you face the fact 15:35 that you also fall short of the glory of God, 15:37 until you own what you are, 15:40 life is always gonna feel like you're living a lie. 15:44 But if you name your anger, 15:45 if you're honest and specific about it, 15:47 that means you've finally begun to own the problem, 15:50 and at that point, when the diagnosis is clear, 15:54 you can give informed consent to the great physician 15:57 so he can tackle the problem. 15:59 "If we confess our sins," the Bible continues, 16:02 "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 16:05 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 16:08 Confession means that you can finally step away 16:11 from the situation and look at it from God's perspective. 16:16 Owning your brokenness, recognizing it for what it is, 16:18 is going to set you free 16:20 in ways you couldn't possibly imagine. 16:22 When you finally admit how helpless you are, 16:24 that you have a problem you can't repair, 16:27 you're gonna find it liberating. 16:29 You can't fix what's fundamentally wrong with you, 16:32 but the creator can and he will. 16:36 You know, sometimes I encourage people 16:38 to try a bit of the fourth century hermit experience, 16:40 not that I believe in asceticism, 16:42 but it does kind of make sense 16:44 to remove yourself from the problems 16:46 that come from living with others for just a little while. 16:49 Now, pulling away from civilization completely and for good, 16:53 that would be contrary to the marching orders 16:55 Jesus gave his church. 16:57 He didn't say, "Disappear into the wilderness," 16:59 he said, "Go into all the world." 17:01 But still, at least for me, 17:03 there's something really compelling 17:05 about those ancient desert monks. 17:07 They were able to visit desolate places 17:09 where they had to confront the darkness in their own hearts, 17:12 and a lot of them were surprised by what they found 17:15 when it was just them and the voice of the spirit. 17:18 So maybe we'd all do well 17:19 to find a little bit of solitude now and then. 17:22 Go silent, no phone, no social media, 17:25 no TV, no radio, no internet, 17:27 just a copy of the Bible and you. 17:30 And if that thought makes you panic, 17:32 that might just say something 17:33 about your addiction to distractions. 17:36 Get by yourself. Start to take inventory. 17:39 And when it comes to the anger that most people carry, 17:42 examine it carefully, 17:43 because in quiet prayer, it's going to show up. 17:47 And then start taking notes. 17:49 Who are you angry with? What exactly did they do? 17:52 And why did that make you angry? 17:54 Be really blunt and ruthless. This needs to be the truth. 17:58 And once you're done, go back and read those notes. 18:01 Is all of it really righteous anger? 18:03 Is your anger the kind that God could agree with? 18:06 Or does it seem like a lot of it actually starts with you, 18:09 your frustrations, the hurts you've suffered, the betrayals? 18:13 Is it possible that some of those things 18:15 have understandably made you more angry about life 18:18 and things that really shouldn't matter? 18:21 Is it possible that you're projecting your pain 18:23 onto other people who had nothing to do with 18:26 what originally happened to you? 18:28 Are you reacting to triggers? 18:31 Be honest with yourself, and I'll be right back after this. 18:35 [gentle music] 18:38 - [Announcer] Life can throw a lot at us. 18:41 Sometimes we don't have all the answers. 18:44 But that's where the Bible comes in. 18:46 It's our guide to a more fulfilling life. 18:49 Here at "The Voice of Prophecy," 18:51 we've created the "Discover Bible" guides 18:53 to be your guide to the Bible. 18:55 They're designed to be simple, easy to use, 18:57 and provide answers to many of life's toughest questions, 19:00 and they're absolutely free. 19:02 So jump online now or give us a call 19:05 and start your journey of discovery. 19:07 - You know, sometimes you've got to wonder 19:09 how much of the frustration and anger we experience 19:12 is actually a product of worry, 19:15 the practice of borrowing trouble from the future, 19:19 The fact that life is difficult 19:21 can generate a lot of anxiety, 19:23 especially when you consider the big mess 19:25 we're all living in right now. 19:27 Maybe you're starting to realize 19:29 that old age is coming faster than you thought, 19:31 and you're worried about how you're gonna support yourself 19:34 when you can no longer work. 19:36 So what do you do? 19:38 You make better plans, you save a little more money, 19:40 and of course, that's a good thing, 19:42 but then somebody comes along with a new tax 19:44 or with policies that cause inflation, 19:46 and that stirs up a lot of anger. 19:50 Or maybe you're at the young end of your life 19:52 and you're planning a wedding two years out. 19:55 Anybody who's ever [chuckles] planned a wedding 19:56 knows there's lots to worry about, finances, the weather, 20:00 the way some people respond when they find out 20:02 they're not in the wedding party, and so on. 20:05 Then on the week of the big event, 20:07 the forecast suddenly predicts thunderstorms. 20:09 "I knew it," you say, because this is one of those things 20:12 you really worried about. 20:14 Anxiety blossoms into frustration, 20:17 and when easy answers refuse to manifest themselves, 20:20 frustration can suddenly explode into anger. 20:24 Now again, planning for the future 20:27 is something you should be doing. 20:28 The Bible's pretty clear about that. 20:31 But to repeatedly borrow trouble from an imaginary future 20:34 is to kill your heart with anxiety, and it's living contrary 20:39 to the advice that Jesus actually gave us. 20:42 Listen to what he said. 20:44 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, 20:47 what you will eat or what you will drink, 20:50 nor about your body, what you will put on. 20:52 Is not life more than food 20:54 and the body more than clothing?" 20:56 Now, I want you to notice, that is not a suggestion. 20:59 That's God telling you to stop being anxious. 21:02 He's saying you've got a choice. 21:05 You can choose to stop, 21:07 and there's a way to start reprogramming your mind 21:10 so that it doesn't happen nearly as often. 21:13 Jesus goes on to say this in verse 26, 21:16 "Look at the birds of the air. 21:18 They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, 21:20 and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 21:23 Are you not of more value than they? 21:25 And which of you by being anxious 21:27 can add a single hour to his span of life? 21:30 And why are you anxious about clothing? 21:32 Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. 21:35 They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, 21:38 even Solomon in all his glory 21:40 was not arrayed like one of these. 21:42 But if God so clothed the grass of the field, 21:44 which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, 21:47 will he not much more clothe you, oh, you of little faith?" 21:52 Now take a look around you. 21:55 I know the birds behind your house don't have bills to pay, 21:57 and they don't have to worry about job security 22:00 or medical insurance, but still, 22:03 God tells us to look at them 22:05 and contemplate their existence. 22:07 They spend their entire lives just being what God intended. 22:11 They're not trying to become something. 22:13 They're not trying to justify their existence. 22:15 They're just playing out the role assigned by God. 22:18 And of course, we find these creatures 22:20 irresistibly beautiful to the point 22:21 where we can't resist looking at 'em. 22:25 "All of that magnificent natural beauty," Jesus said, 22:27 "is less important than you." 22:29 Those things are dispensable, but God doesn't think you are. 22:33 And if only we would choose to believe that, 22:35 if only we understood that he really does plan 22:38 to wipe away our tears, like it says in Revelation 21, 22:42 well, whatever happens to us between now and then 22:45 really isn't gonna seem all that overwhelming. 22:48 Just listen to how Jesus wraps this up. 22:50 He says, "But seek first the kingdom of God 22:52 and his righteousness, 22:54 and all these things will be added to you. 22:56 Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow 22:59 for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 23:01 Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 23:05 Now, that was a really big concept. 23:08 It's God's solution for anxiety, 23:10 which often lies at the root of anger. 23:13 God says, "Live in the present 23:15 as if today is enough for now." 23:18 Stop living in the future. 23:19 Stop borrowing trouble that doesn't even exist yet. 23:23 Mark Twain said, 23:24 "Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe." 23:28 And now I'm gonna suggest something else 23:30 that ties into this, 23:31 and that's to stop living in the past as well. 23:35 I mean, yeah, the past is important because it shaped you. 23:38 You wanna remember it. 23:40 You wanna remember the lessons you learned 23:41 and how it made you the person that you are today. 23:45 But at the same time, it can be tempting 23:47 to live back there almost full time, 23:50 bathing in the pain you experienced. 23:53 It might be helpful to remind yourself 23:54 that apart from the books of Heaven and the memory of God, 23:58 your past doesn't actually exist. 24:01 I know, science fiction says your past 24:03 is still being played out, 24:04 out there in the universe somewhere. 24:06 It's a destination you could visit 24:07 if you had a time machine, but that's science fiction. 24:11 In reality, it's over, it's gone, 24:13 and it doesn't have to determine how you live right now. 24:16 I'll be right back after this. [gentle music] 24:22 - [Announcer] Dragons, beasts, cryptic statues, 24:26 Bible prophecy can be incredibly vivid and confusing. 24:31 If you've ever read, "Daniel a Revelation," 24:33 and come away scratching your head, you're not alone. 24:36 Our free "Focus on Prophecy" guides 24:38 are designed to help you unlock the mysteries of the Bible 24:41 and deepen your understanding of God's plan 24:44 for you and our world. 24:45 Study online or request them by mail 24:48 and start bringing prophecy into focus today. 24:51 - Some Christians get understandably worried 24:53 when we venture too close to that final statement 24:56 in Matthew six, the one where Jesus tells us 24:59 to stop living in the future 25:00 and anchor our minds in the present. 25:03 Why does that make some Christians nervous? 25:05 It's because it resembles a practice from Eastern religions 25:08 that some people call, "Mindfulness." 25:11 Mindfulness is a form of meditation 25:13 where you anchor yourself in the present 25:15 by focusing on something that occupies the present, 25:18 and most of the time, 25:19 they'll tell you to focus on your breath. 25:22 It's an attempt to quiet your mind 25:24 by riveting your conscious attention on something. 25:27 And of course, one of the reasons 25:29 that Western Christians get nervous 25:31 is because these practices are often coupled 25:33 with religious ideas or deities 25:36 that are completely antithetical 25:38 to the teachings of the Bible. 25:39 So let me be clear. 25:41 There is a form of mindfulness 25:43 that is not appropriate for Christians, 25:46 but that doesn't mean we don't have a similar tool. 25:49 Remember Jesus said, "Do not be anxious about tomorrow, 25:53 for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. 25:55 Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 25:58 Now, couple that statement with his instruction 26:00 to observe the world around you, 26:03 and what you have is an authentic version of mindfulness 26:06 that actually harmonizes with the teachings of Christ. 26:09 I mean, after all, he didn't suggest this, he commanded it. 26:13 The Bible counsels you to ground yourself in the present, 26:16 to choose to live in it, because let's be honest, 26:19 the present is all you have, nobody gets tomorrow for sure. 26:25 So maybe give it a try. 26:27 Set aside time to go for a walk, but without your earbuds. 26:30 When you go out the door, 26:32 give yourself permission to slow down and live for once. 26:35 Listen to the sounds of the world, the birds chirping, 26:38 the dogs barking half a block away, 26:41 the feeling of the sun on your face, 26:43 the sensation of a gentle breeze. 26:45 Pay attention to all of it. 26:47 But instead of trying to empty your mind, 26:49 like they teach in Eastern religions, 26:51 or instead of chanting some meaningless mantra, 26:54 have a discussion about you, with God. 26:57 Fill your heart and mind with him. 26:59 Maybe memorize just one line of scripture 27:02 before you go out the door and then discuss that with God. 27:05 Think about how you might apply that to this day, right now. 27:10 Live that moment fully in the presence of God. 27:14 Look, tomorrow is going to come soon enough, 27:18 and so will next week. 27:20 But right now, all you've got, today, 27:24 and at some point, if you're filling your mind 27:27 with what it teaches in this book, 27:29 you're going to trust God more. 27:31 You're gonna start to trust him enough 27:32 to give him access to your once angry heart. 27:37 I'm Shawn Boonstra. Thanks for joining me this week. 27:40 This has been another episode of "Authentic." 27:44 [upbeat music] 27:54 [upbeat music continues] 28:04 [upbeat music continues] 28:14 [upbeat music continues] 28:25 [no audio] |
Revised 2024-09-18