An infectious spirit?
There is a lot of talk about viruses lately. We need to protect ourselves against it, prevent its spread, avoid its weakening of our body. So in my anger this week, my thoughts turned to viruses.
Anger. The seething, simmering, practicing-in-my-head-what-I-want-to-say kind. Like a virus it can attach itself to one thought and infect a dozen more. Before I know it the infection takes hold and I’m contagious as it spews from my mouth and infects those around me, who in turn infect others.
Quarantine is necessary. Taking the time I need to acknowledge the infection, take a hard look at where my system is compromised and susceptible, and heal myself to prevent its spread.
To prevent the spread of hateful anger, I must reconcile with myself. What I think I want is to strike back. To throw daggers at the focus of my anger, and dare I say, hurt them too. The problem is they are already hurting. They have their own infection they are dealing with ~ a heart wounded by deception, hatred, fear. Deepening another’s wounds will only wound us both more…continuing the spread of contagion.
I have to practice my resolve, my restraint from biting back or otherwise retaliating, in small ways so that I may exercise it in bigger ways sorely needed in our divided communities. So I am strengthened by the courage of people like Daryl Davis and Matthew Stevenson to love the wounded into seeing humanity for what it is and learning to love themselves. And I’ll vaccinate my wrathful words with hopeful prayer…
That God may grant strengthening in your inner being with power through the Spirit; and [the Eternal] may dwell in your heart through faith as you are being rooted and grounded in love…to have the power to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of [the Eternal] that surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled with all the fullness of [Love]. Ephesians 3:18-19
May I be more willing to spread immunity than disease.
In this together …