Atlanta is tough on air-conditioners. They work hard! Inevitably, they require maintenance, usually at the hottest time of year. Last summer, my air conditioner went out. A maintenance company came out and, a large payment later, it was working again. I was happy (at least until my American Express bill arrived). Two weeks later, the air conditioner quit again. I called the company back. A different crew arrived this time. After a quick look, they confessed that the previous team had left two live wires improperly covered. They had come too close together and sparks had flown. Fortunately, it had blown a breaker. I have never been a big fan of sparks in my attic! Sparks lead to fires, and fires lead to serious damage.
Live wires should never be left uncovered. If they are, problems are inevitable. A similar scenario is evident in society today. People who have major unaddressed problems encounter others with volatile issues of their own. Sparks soon fly.
Social media has certainly provided an avenue for people to vent frustrations. They obviously feel they have been wronged or cheated in some way. It’s equally clear that they haven’t dealt with their anger or disappointment in a healthy manner. By venting publicly, they attract other people who are harboring their own issues, and sparks fly. I have been on planes or in shopping centers where people couldn’t help but tell everyone around them how angry they were. Sadly, even in venues designed for entertainment, such as sports stadiums, people have inflicted serious harm on each other. How could people be so filled with anger that they beat up total strangers at sporting events?
Sadly, the church is not free of this behavior. I know of adult Bible studies where members brace themselves on Sunday mornings after rival football teams played the night before. Grown men who have attended church for years can grow angry at a fellow believer over a comment about college sports. Wow! One would think Christians could handle personal issues better than unbelievers, wouldn’t you?
Saul of Tarsus had issues. At one point he was “. . . breathing threats and murder” against Christians (Acts 9:1). He happily consented to the brutal slaughter of innocent people like Stephen (Acts 6). Yet Saul had a life-changing encounter with the risen Christ, and he was never the same again (Acts 9:3-9). After his transformation, Paul viewed people differently. He could then say, “For the love of Christ compels us . . .” (2 Cor. 5:14). Love is far less likely to cause friction with others than is anger and hate! When Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, he noted that there were some who preached the gospel out of envy and rivalry (Phil. 1:15). This practice undoubtedly would have invited angry outbursts from Paul in his previous life. Instead, he concluded, “What does it matter? Only that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice” (Phil. 1:18). How different exchanges between Christians and others would be today if Christians always sought to advance the gospel and glorify God.
Many Christians have exposed wires in their life. They carry hurts, disappointments, and sin that cause sparks to fly whenever they get close to someone else. Christians should be different. We’ve been given everything necessary to be healed, cleansed from our sin, and filled with God’s peace and joy. Rather than reacting in anger when others disagree with us, we ought to feel secure in our adoption as children of God. The carnal, sinful nature we once had should be put to death so we are immune to the anger and vitriol being hurled our way.
It takes two uncovered live wires to generate sparks. You ought to be covered by Christ’s work in your life so you respond to the storms raging around you the way Christ would. Before you blow another fuse, let Christ forgive, cleanse, and cover you so you are not riled by the live wires around you.
