It is Finished

Precious Morris,

So many people have asked me why I'm not angry. In fact, one friend recently told me that she reads my letters to you and can tell that I'm not angry, so she has taken on the role of being angry for me. People have assured me that it is okay to be angry, that I would be justified in feeling that way. They are right...the world would understand if I was angry. God gave us the emotion of anger, so I know that even He would understand if I was angry. So why don't I feel that way? When I sit and think about it, I can come up with a few reasons.

First, in my 32 short years on earth, I've learned that anger doesn't make you feel better. We say and do things in anger that we come to regret, things that we feel guilty about later. Anger distracts us from our pain for a while... it even makes us feel stronger for a brief time. But it isn't long before anger makes us bitter. And that bitterness turns into resentment. That resentment eventually leads to hate. I could never let that be your legacy, so I heed the bible's warnings about anger:

"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...And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." Ephesians 4:26-27, 30-31  

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for a man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." James 1:19-20 

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil." Psalm 37:8-9

Secondly, it is hard for me to be angry at the God who gave me you, even if he only gave you to me for a short time. God answered my prayers and made me a mother. He hasn't broken a promise to me because He never promised me all good things in this life. The bible tells us that there will be bad times in our lives, but that we should remain thankful during those times:

"He said, 'I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!'" Job 1:21 

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other." Ecclesiastes 7:14 

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3 

The words of Jesus: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

That last verse leads me to the final reason that I don't feel angry, and I only need one scripture to explain it:

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

I can think of no better day than Good Friday to rid ourselves of all the anger in our lives. No better day to remember that Jesus, the one person who deserved to be angry at the world and at God, showed no anger. As he died a horrific and painful death on the cross, no curse words or words of anger came from his lips. When he breathed his last, he simply said, "It is finished." The Greek word for finished in this scripture (τετέλεσται/tetelestai) is an accounting term that literally translates "paid in full". Jesus paid my debt in full, and because he did, I will get to spend eternity with you when this life is over. How can I be angry about that?

Love,

Mom