The Walls We Build

I have recently encountered a person who is steadfast in his beliefs.  So steadfast that he refuses to have a rational discussion about those beliefs, or mine for that matter.  This person is an atheist; he does not believe that God exists.  That's not really a problem for me.  I believe that God has given all of his creation free will and thus we have the choice to believe in Him or not.

Our initial conversation surrounded evolution and the belief of evolutionists that we evolved from monkeys.  I was actually watching a conversation of his with a friend of mine before I decided to test the waters myself.  In watching their interactions, I saw this atheist make certain demands for evidence and put qualifiers on those demands.  What I found interesting is that when the same demands were made of him, he resorted to degrading comments and shallow excuses.

After a few more interactions with him, I have concluded that this gentleman is quite angry.  What has caused this anger is unknown to me.  But the anger has caused him to build this great wall around himself.  It appears to be pretty solid, until someone throws something with a bit of truth to it directly at it's weakest point.  Things start shaking and he shuts down.

His anger (and perhaps his lack of self-confidence?) has limited his ability to speak rationally with people who disagree with him.  I have to wonder what else it has limited in his life. Anger is an extreme emotion.  It can wreak havoc with our other emotions and tear at our very soul if not controlled.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines anger as:

1 : a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism

I like that description; a strong feeling of displeasure.  I think that's putting it mildly!  I do not believe that anger, itself, is bad.  I believe God gave us all emotions for a reason; each having it's place and purpose.  However, as with all of our varied emotions, we can not let it rule our lives or allow it to hinder our ability to think rationally.

God has this to say about anger:  Be angry and yet do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger. (Eph. 4.26) and this:  This you know, my beloved brethren.  But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;  for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. (James 1.19-20)

I believe there is a reason He doesn't want us to hold on to our anger.  It has taken me many years (yes, many of them angry) to realize that while my anger may have been justified, it was only hurting me.  It caused me to build huge walls that I believed would protect me from getting hurt any further. The problem with walls though, is that while they keep out people who can hurt you, they also keep out people who can love you.  They keep everyone out, even God.

It took a long time to understand that in order to let go of my anger, I needed to forgive.  Forgiving isn't easy, but it's something we must do.  And it's something we do for ourselves, not for the one we are forgiving.

I have so much to say on this topic, but not enough room in this one post.  Perhaps I will have another opportunity to talk about forgiveness and how it truly heals.

For now, there is a gentleman out there who is angry and very busy protecting himself from this huge cult of Christians.  If you believe in God and believe in prayer, please pray for him.  You don't need his name, God knows exactly who he is.  Just pray that his heart would be softened and that he would begin to let down those walls that keep everyone out.

Blessings!