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| PALMS DOWN, PALMS UP When a group of 6 year olds was asked "What's the most important truth you've learned so far?" one priceless response came from a girl who wrote, "When your dad makes your mom mad, never let her brush your hair!" It's an important insight. Since Adam and Eve, unrighteous anger has had a gravity all its own. Anger, like guilt or shame, seeks someone else to spill out onto. The first example is in Genesis 3:12-13, when the Lord confronts Adam with his sin. Instead of accepting responsibility, Adam shifts the blame. "This woman you put here made me eat it." And Eve says, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Shifting shame, anger, and frustration may have started in the garden, but the tendency is alive and well today. It's easy to have a bad day at the office or on the golf course and pass our frustration on to our families. Take Jim, a police officer, for example. Typically, he'd arrive home after his shift with a frustration level near 100 percent and a patience level near zero. Jim's young son didn't know why his father was so angry when he walked in the door. All he knew was that the first time he saw him each day, his Dad was sullen and withdrawn. Jim's anger and distance was ruining his family. To Jim's credit, he started meeting with a small group of men at his church. One ex-soldier challenged Jim to do something he'd done himself as a young father. "Jim, don't walk in the door until you've stopped your car for however long it takes to do a 'palms down, palms up.' " Instead of arriving home angry, Jim began stopping at a small baseball field for a few moments. Sitting in his car, Jim, as his friend had instructed, placed his palms down on his thighs. With "palms down," he closed his eyes and told the Lord all the anger-producing situations that had been a part of his shift. If someone had yelled at him (or worse), he'd confess any anger he'd felt in response. After praying about that day's negative events and confessing his own sin, it was time for "palms up." He'd turn his hands over and spend a few minutes praising God. Then Jim asked Jesus to fill him with his love and character -- to give him patience and understanding when he walked in the door to see his family. The results were dramatic. Soon his son went from standing back while his father stomped into the house to running to Daddy's car. His wife went from worrying if things could get any worse to praising God for how much her husband had grown. If you're frustrated during your day and tempted to respond in anger, be proactive in putting palms down and palms up. It'll help you bring God's best home to your family. Author: John Trent, Christian Reader magazine. From: Ted Release a Handful of Anger (orig. subj.) |