“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV)
One of my favorite things that God has used to fill my spirit is a fire pit. Fires of this type have provided me many hours of peace and resetting. Throughout the Bible we see fires used for many purposes both directly and indirectly. One person I think about with whom fires played a major part in a life story is with Peter. At one fire we see Peter deny knowing Jesus after Jesus’ arrest. Then around another fire with Jesus, Peter is restored. (John 21)
One personal thought related to fires that has helped many I work with, as well as myself, is how fires can be built up and put out. The more wood one puts on fires the hotter and more intense they can get. That same fire can have its flame and intensity reduced by separating the wood from the central part of the fire.
This simple principal can assist us when we begin struggling with anger. The more we let things that upset or anger us build up, or once said stack up, the angrier we become and eventually the fire spreads beyond control. However, the more we can spread the individual pieces apart the quicker the fires die down. Obviously, we can douse the fire with water or an extinguisher but we don’t always have these readily available in the moment. Such can be true with an emotional fire as well and we have to calm it down with the options we have at hand.
If you begin finding anger building up I encourage you to:
1) Look over the various pieces of wood (specific things that are upsetting you).
2) Choose an individual piece of wood to separate from the rest (dealing with individual issue/thing that upsets you; this may include addressing an issue with someone to work out, praying and asking God to help you forgive or let go of something that was said/done, etc.)
3) Repeat step 2 with other individual pieces.
Please note that though I use the word “simple,” it is a process that may not be quick or free from any risk/difficulty. It is simple in the sense that we take the big and break it down to manageable pieces.
