Don't go to bed angry

At our wedding reception we placed "Advice for the bride and groom" cards on the tables for our guests to fill in. I can probably say that the most common/most repeated piece of advice we received was to not go to bed angry.  The advice is biblical and comes from Ephesians 6:26-27 "And don't  sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil." But what does this mean?

I think that it does just that - if you don't sort out whatever is making you angry with someone then the devil will have lots of  fun filling your mind with horrible thoughts, turn your heart hard and make you bitter about the whole situation, as well as cause even more hurt and pain in your life. The devil kind of reminds me of a rusty fishing hook. Once you get that stuck in you it creates a painful,  gross and infected sore in you. When I was thinking about this earlier - I was like "sjoe! - I totally don't want that in me"

I can honestly say that I am not a "let's talk right now and sort it out right now" kind of person. When I get angry about something I need a couple of hours to cool down, become less emotional and then come back with a well thought out solution or way to explain how I'm feeling. In reality this can't always happen - especially when you don't know when you will see the person again, so sometimes it's best to take a deep breath and sort it out.

In other words, I don't think this verse is saying that we should sort things out with people as soon as they happen and not wait until another time to sort things out. You may tell yourself that now may not be the right time - but in all honestly I don't think there will be a "right time". I also think a lot of hurt can be prevented if you sort it out now. Which is also what I think the verse is saying - instead of giving the devil a chance to turn something poisonous and create havoc, rather stop him in his tracks and fix whatever is causing anger or hurt with someone.

I've kind of been learning this in my marriage. When David and I leave things that have upset us, we often have a much bigger argument than if when we sort it out straight away. I also find that if I don't sort it out the same day I get more angry and even bitter about the situation and then I'm even more illogical in my argument. I also find that if we sort things out sooner we're able to carry on with life with no undercurrent or disconnection between us.

God created us for relationships and to have connection with people, why let some anger get in the way and cause disconnect. I think he knew what he was thinking when he inspired the writer of Ephesians to write this verse. If we give the devil a foothold in our relationships he will take advantage and destroy all connection which could end relationships.

Don't wait until tomorrow to fix something, rather sort it out as soon as possible. If it's not possible to do it right away as it happens because you're about to walk into an event of some kind wait until the first opportunity to do it straight after - don't let it fester and get worse.

xKx