Angry or Bitter?

From the Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life.

Welcome back to wonderful words of life I made to Cheryl Gallant and I'm Bernie Dick. We are so glad you're here. I think sure is doing a great job. Thanks for any keep it, and today we begin holy week everybody so Bernie tell us a little bit about what holy week entails well for me. I think holy week is a a look back a reflection of what we know of the life of Christ and the events that we read about in the Bible. Certainly this is where we usually start Maundy Thursday. You celebrate the Eucharist or the Lord's supper and Good Friday. I don't know why it's called Good Friday because we what we do is come to reflect on the, the crucifixion of Jesus, you know that the pain that he may bared for for us and then Easter Sunday, which is my absolute favorite. I think we are Easter people, a man we celebrate the resurrection of Christ in the entire reason as Christian people that we are free to be who God has created us to be. So Bernie, what is this week mean to you. I think for me because of the idea that we are Easter people.

It is a it's almost like a reset for me. We purposely stop on Thursdays to just take a moment and begin to reflect on what will happen over the next 24 hours and then we on Friday reflect on the crucifixion and I heard a message one time or someone said you know if you can imagine, Christ is alive in every aspect of your day-to-day life. But when you're sitting it's like you should be able to hear the sound of the hammers hitting the nails into his hands and feet, and that just is humbling to me. Just the thought that he still suffering from my inability to live a holy life and that's what I'm trying to do. Of course, so Easter is like a reset for me. That's what that week means frame in the Salvation Army lately typically celebrate it with holy week meetings right actually beginning with Palm Sunday but then Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday and of course Good Friday and Good Friday riots.

It's it's a day of some paradox in regards to its its meaning the right because it's it's more of of our it. It's sorrow for our own sin that Christ bore on the cross. I mean that's that's the sorrow. But the good in it. Is that because of what Jesus did, then we can be alive in him and we had victory over sand right that's that's the goodness of it and so and then of course, like you said on resurrection Sunday we gather together to celebrate the risen Christ, absolutely. And what that means in our lives as as followers of Jesus we are we too are our resurrection.

People resurrected from the dead will sadly were nearing the end of our Easter series with Ken and Amy in the series were revisiting the topic of mental health, but we are honored and grateful. The Argonauts have been so vulnerable with us to share the struggles they've been dealing with recently.

When it comes to their own mental health absolutely and in this episode Ken shares a thought that depression doesn't necessarily begin with sadness but it can often begin with. Actually bitterness like an example of Jesus we see someone who is peaceful and and gentle and and somewhat meek and in certain situations, but we know that Jesus was a mighty force and that you know he stood for justice and you know he doesn't want us just to be a doormat. No way.

It's hard because when we learned the idea of turning the other cheek. People think that me you know can mean you want me to be a doormat right. That's not the case. Absolute we were talking to her producer Chris Benjamin about this and he was saying, you know, when Jesus didn't like what he saw the temple. He didn't just ask everybody to move these things outside he flip the tables over, he was angry right budget for the record, I'm asking anyone to go to their local church and flip over tables but is a righteous anger. There was a righteous anger and in my case, we we talked about a scenario that you know someone had come to me with anger about a situation that I had no control over what I share that with a family member.

She reminded me of something that my grandfather used to say when when she wrote the response to me. She said the longer I live the more I realize how important it is to separate one's spiritual life and well-being from the soulless life of emotions and feelings. Apparently my grandfather used to say that we should live above feelings because that's where victory is right now I'm over that kind of godly example of my own life that we need people to speak that to us to doubt my men and out again.

I go back to every single one of us are dealing with these things. This is where the enemy gets us right in the mind and that that's where the battlefield is and so we need people to be speaking life into us.

In truth, we hope that this series has been a blessing to you.

God bless you and your families. During this week as we meditate on the final week of the life of Jesus is a man uncertain times you can be certain of the Salvation Army is serving those most in need.

With help and hope thanks to your donations Salvation Army is helping those affected by cultic 19 diligence lost reaches who have no home to retreat to who need food help with utilities and most of all to see how you can continue to make a difference, Salvation Army, USA people say that depression is sadness really it. Depression is anger that there is this injustice that's being done and you can't get out of it. In fact, the leave that you use suicide is often a result of this just this idea of that. I need to show somebody how angry and how in just this is and it's it's a very difficult time for people to walk through that and I can't imagine right now if you're listening to this how you are feeling. Satan once us to feel victimized.

He wants us to feel like there is nothing we can do to change the circumstances and you have a really good Scripture Amy I do. And the Lord just gave this to me just last week, and it's in Isaiah chapter 61 and going down, starting with verse three, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

So this is after the exile, and the Lord is bringing them back and there are some of them who are still saying well. Jerusalem is gone. Now I know what were going back to so what is that mean though. Let me start have what this means to me personally couple weeks ago as I was coming back from a trip an unplanned trip from Maryland to help with my mother what I when I go back to visit her. It's not as I remember now, there my mother's health has taking a turn and it's not visiting to thrift stores. It's not going out for breakfast.

Basically when I go home now.

It is helping her around the house just sitting the ministry of presence just being with her and as I was coming home driving home 13 hour trip.

I had a lot of time to myself and thought about Amy, you have a choice.

You have a choice either to be well is me, not gonna when I go home. It's not going to be fun anymore, but I have a choice in the next day.

This is when the Lord gave me the scripture about choice.

I can choose to sit and wallow and talk and think about what was when I go back to Maryland to visit or I have a choice now to just give the Lord, thanks for the time with my mom when I when I have these moments, and that putting on I'm going to choose to put on the crown of beauty instead of putting the ashes over my head. I'm going to choose to put on the oil rub on that oil of gladness and rejoice and celebrate my mother's life instead of mourning it and I'm going to put on that garment of praise and then thank the Lord for the life that my mother has given to me. So when we look at the. The story of Jonah the prophet Jonah.

We always talk about how he ran from God. Almost like he was afraid to go. Quite frankly, the reason you don't want to go as he hated the Assyrians and what the Assyrians had done and he didn't want to provide a way of forgiveness for these people who he hated and he went out and hid under vine and curse God and God comes to them and says Jonah do you have a right to be angry and Jonah says yes I have a right to be angry. I have enough right to be angry that I am willing to die just right. He and that's the choice right God was sort of testing with a question, as God always does deep.

Do you really have a right to be angry. Considering all that I've done for you. Jonah considering that all of done in your past it. Are you going to let this one thing overwhelm you in Christ himself from the cross, said my God, my God, why have you forsaken me like that sees that's his true words.

He's been forsaken in the garden is been betrayed, denied any's he's on a cross and the only thing that he can think about is this Psalm, the David once wrote about God forsaking him by the time you get to the end of that Psalm he's come to terms with that anger and whether that anger was true anger towards somebody or something. He was dealing with internal Jonah. Jonah's anger is based on this external anger towards the Assyrians and an unforgiving spirit. Jesus is anger on the cross is turned to acceptance because he knows that he's giving up his rights on behalf of others, so that all of us can experience.

I'm so grateful to Kellan Amy for bringing this series to us in for being willing to share some very vulnerable aspects of their own walk. Thanks guys and I hope that for you.

If you are struggling with depression on any mental health crisis. We want to encourage you to reach out to someone local church or the Salvation Army will be glad to help and even come alongside you as you walk through the season, but if you need someone to talk to immediately please call 1-800-273-8255.

That's one 802 73 talk – you and will see you again next week.

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