I love to cook.  One of my favorite activities to do with my children when they were growing up was to invite them to help me with the cooking.  Typically they enjoyed it as well.

 

            I remember once, when my oldest daughter was about three or four years old, she was helping me in the kitchen.  I was making a family favorite at the time, a broccoli rice hot dish.  It is one of those labor intensive dishes that a lot of things come together at about the same time, before it is placed in the oven.

 

            Amanda was sitting on a counter top by the sink, waiting to stir stuff in the bowl.  I was on a few feet away from her, facing the stove as the broccoli was finishing being steamed, the cheese was being melted and the soup mixture was warming up.  Just at the moment I was going to begin pouring it all together into the mixing bowl, I turned to reach for the mixing bowl in time to see Amanda, washing out the bowl with a dish cloth that had some soap on it.

 

            I panicked.  It was at such a crucial spot in my preparation.  It was so unexpected.  I just looked at Amanda and said, “Ugh, Amanda.  Why are you doing that?”  And without giving her a chance to respond, I picked her up and I pushed her out of the kitchen saying, “Go out into the living room.”

 

            She had so been looking forward to stirring.  I didn’t even give her the chance.  I was so frustrated at the extra work she had created for me. 

 

            While I cleaned up the mess and mixed together the hot dish, I could hear her crying in the other room.  By the time the hot dish was put into the oven, I knew I had blown it.  I had let my anger and frustration get the best of me, so much so that I actually missed out on my daughter trying to help me.  Have you ever been so angry, so frustrated that you missed out on something important?  Have you ever let your anger or frustration get the best of you?

 

            Today we are beginning a new sermon series called Moving Toward Wholeness; Overcoming Life’s Hurts, and we are going to focus on Anger.  Sometimes, often times, our anger can cause us to miss out on what is happening, really happening around us.  Sometimes, often times, our anger can cause us to miss out on developing relationships with people around us.  Sometimes, often times, our anger can cause us to miss what God wants to be doing with us as well. 

 

            In our scripture for today, Naaman is the commander in the King of Aram’s Army.  We discover in this scripture that he has leprosy.  Which really means his world is changing.  He was a man of power and influence.  But because of this dreadful disease, he was on the verge of losing everything. 

 

            A servant girl says, there is a prophet in Samaria who could help him.  When the King of Aram sees hope for one of his favorite generals, he sends Naaman to Israel to be healed. 

 

            The King of Israel doesn’t know what to do.  But the prophet Elisha sends word to have Naaman come to him.  When Naaman arrives at the prophet’s house, Elisha sends out a servant to say, “Go wash in the river Jordan, seven times.” 

 

            Upon hearing this, Naaman becomes upset and turns to leave, saying, “I thought that at least for me, he would personally come out and call on the name of God, wave his hand over the illness and heal me.  And he stomped off.”

 

            Naaman’s anger is a problem.  Has your anger ever been a problem?  Honestly, anger can be a problem.  It has the capacity to hurt ourselves.  It has the capacity to destroy relationships.  It has the capacity to drive a wedge between people.

 

            As someone who has been hurt by anger, and who has hurt others by my anger, I am learning some lessons in how to deal with my anger or frustration that may be helpful for you as well.  First of all, I am learning that when I get angry, it is often the result of different expectations.  When I find myself getting frustrated now, I begin to ask, why?  What is going on?  What were my expectations?

 

            This pausing to ask why helps me to respond more appropriately than just picking up my daughter and whisking her away.  Naaman expected to be treated better by the prophet.  He expected some personal attention.  The next time you get angry; take time to ask yourself, “Why?  Why and I getting angry?  What were my expectations?”

 

            The second thing I am discovering is that I can learn new ways to respond to anger.  I don’t have to respond to anger by how I witnessed my family respond to anger.  I can take responsibility and learn new ways to live and act.  I don’t have to jump to conclusions or react.  I can ask questions of myself and others. If you are here today and you know anger has been an issue for you, what can you do to learn different ways to react?

 

            The third thing I am doing is that I ask God to help me deal with the appropriate way to respond to anger.  The story of Naaman doesn’t end with him simply walking away in anger.  After he stomped off in anger, a servant of his caught up with him and said, “Why are you so angry?  If the man of God would have wanted you to do something hard and heroic, you would have done it.  What do you have to lose if you go wash in the water?”

 

            Naaman came to his senses.  He went and washed and was made whole.  Then he returned giving thanks to God.

 

            On that day, so long ago, when I had sent my daughter away, by the time I was walking to where she was crying, I knew I had blown it.  I sat down beside my precious girl and I said, “Amanda, I am so sorry.  What were you trying to do?” 

 

            She just looked at me and said, “I was trying to help.”

 

            I gathered her into my arms.  I told her I was sorry for not taking the time to understand what was going on with her.  She accepted my love and my apology and seemed to get over the hurt a lot quicker than I did.  Our relationship experienced healing.

 

            I believe God wants us to be made whole.  I believe God wants us to experience a meaningful, fulfilling life.  But sometimes we can let our anger cause us to miss out on the most precious moments with others and with God.  It is something that many in this room, at one time or another have to face.

 

            If you are or have struggled with anger.  I hope, the next time you get angry, that you will begin to ask, “Why?  What is going on within me?  What were my expectations?”  I hope you will take time to learn new skills and different ways to react to the anger you feel.  Especially if how you have responded is causing pain to others.  I hope you will invite God to help you deal with the circumstances that cause pain, because God cares about you.  God wants you to be whole.

 

            May God help us live a life of faith. 

 

Amen.