Point of Eruption

September 20, 2018 // William Boggs

Do You Blow Up?

“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another. ‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil… Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:25-27, 31-32

Recently, Mariah and I were at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. We were amazed at this massive lake which had formed in what was once a volcano that had erupted centuries ago. It is amazing that here, where there was once lava that erupted and destroyed untold amounts of wildlife, plants, and possibly humans, there was now a pure, pristine lake which has the purest lake water in the world. The water of the lake was clear blue. Visibility of the lake is around sixty feet.

Around that same time, we had seen where the volcano in Hawaii had caused untold amounts of damage and destruction with its rivers of lava. There is really nothing that can stop these rivers of lava. It’s interesting to note that these two volcanoes did not happen to choose to erupt one day. Deep down in the heart of the earth’s crust underneath these volcanoes, there were deep shiftings and disturbances. The lava kept on and on building up, until finally the earth could not contain it. When it was unable to be suppressed any longer, these volcanoes erupted, leaving miles and miles of destruction.

These two volcanoes remind me of what happens in our own lives sometimes. Over and over again, a family member or friend will say something hurtful to us, and so many of us will not deal with the offense properly, choosing to forgive and allow God’s healing love to cleanse our heart of the pain. So often, we go to bed angry, with all the hurt and pain of that day, and we never deal with it in a healthy, Godly way. Countless times throughout the day, we get hurt and never bring that offense to Jesus. We never allow Jesus to take that burden from us, but instead keep it to ourselves. And day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year these offenses keep piling up until slowly until we grow bitter, angry, and depressed. We develop a stony heart.

We can put on a nice show for others such as co-workers or friends, and everything appears just fine. We usually live behind a mask that hides the true condition of our hearts. We smile to everyone outside home and everyone thinks our home must be perfect. However, with the slightest thing said, we can blow up at our spouse or kids. At the drop of a hat, we can be sent into orbit. The family puts on smiles when company is around, but when it is just your family there, everyone walks around on eggshells for fear that you will blow up. Your home feels like a big lie, because while everyone believes your family is the ideal family, if they were a fly on the wall, they would see that the smallest, most trivial thing can cause an eruption.

Why live another day like this? Don’t take another breath without choosing to begin to forgive those you harbor unforgiveness towards. Ask Jesus to forgive you of every ounce of bitterness in your life. Be specific. Allow the cleansing blood and love of Jesus to flow through your heart and cleanse you. There is a fullness of the love of Christ He is wanting you to live in every day.

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