
On Monday night, I was livid. There was a funky odor in the house and I couldn't pinpoint its origin. My husband had recently taken out the trash. There were a few dishes in the sink, but they were not dirty enough to emit the awful smell that assaulted my senses. I checked the fridge and the dishwasher for the culprit. But I came up with nothing.
Then, it dawned on me. It was the broccoli my daughter refused to eat on Sunday night. I disposed of it after my husband took out the trash. The left over broccoli was covered by a few other items thrown out, so it was neatly hidden from sight, but vastly present in smell. Yet, the smell itself was not why I was mad. I asked my husband to take out the trash before bed, but he didn't.
This is why I was livid.
When I asked him did he take out the trash, he was already tucked away in bed. So, I stormed out the room and put the trash on the side of the house myself. He said he would take it out first thing in the morning, but I wouldn't dare wake up to that horrendous smell in the morning.
As I crawled in bed, I was still mad. I turned my back towards my husband and proceeded to stroll through social media. I am well aware to never let the sun go down on my wrath (Ephesians 4:26). It was not my intention to stay upset wit him. I just needed a second to cool down, and get my mind off my anger.
So, as I strolled down my timeline, Philippians 4 popped up from one of my Facebook comrades. I knew it was God pointing me to His Word. He knew I was upset. And I knew He was providing me with the antidote. So, I reluctantly opened my bible to the scripture. Yes, I did it reluctantly because sometimes we don't want to hear the God's honest truth. Sometimes we don't want the Word of God because it cuts too deeply sometimes...and I didn't want to be cut.
Yet, I wasn't necessarily cut by the Word this time. Rather, I was reminded on how to shape my thinking. I was reminded what to think about. Philippians 4:8 reads:
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
God was telling me to stop thinking on my anger and to start thinking on these things. Things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. So what was true? The truth was that my husband didn't think I would be so upset over him not taking out the trash. The truth was that my husband had just hours before bought me a carrot cake slice from Publix that I begged for against his better judgement (in fact, he bought me two slices :-) The truth was that my husband loved me, and I loved him.
What was pure? My husband's intentions. In his defense, he did take the trash bag out the trash can. He tied the bag up and placed it by the door. Our trash bags has "odor protection", so my husband likely assumed tying the bag down would get rid of the smell until the morning. He did not intentionally upset me. Why would any husband intentionally upset his wife? Who wants wife wrath?
What was lovely? Our daughter. Our beautiful daughter's name is Lovely. Thinking on things that are lovely automatically makes me think of her. The precious child that my husband and I share reminds me of the lovely bond of family we have. Through God's power, my husband and I have created a lovely child and a lovely family.
Here's the thing. Life is full of instances that will make us upset. Life can get ugly. Life can get smelly. But whenever those emotions bubble up, we should think on these things. When that reckless driver in traffic cuts you off, think on these things. If your job is working your last nerve, think on these things. If you are angry with a spouse, friend, co-worker, or whomever, think on these things.
Because when you think on these things God will give you something in return. Check out the following verse:
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
(Philippians 4:9, KJV)
Think on these things so that the God of peace can be with you. It works, I promise you it does. While my back was still turned to my husband, I began to think on these things. As my anger evaporated, my husband lightly grasped my shoulder for prayer. I placed my hand over his hand as he led us in prayer. And I went to sleep with my wrath gone and my love reinstated.
But there's one more thing I have to tell you. As weird as it may sound, as I slept, I subconsciously thought of composing an article from Philippians 4:8. However, my subconscious mind muddled in with other dreams (I blame the carrot cake). Thus, I was slightly unsure of what my next article should be.
Yet, I just love God because He always goes the extra mile. To confirm my thoughts and to put the cherry on top, God had a little something waiting on me the next day. When I opened my Bible App the next morning, the selected scripture was from none other than Philippians 4.
Ah! I just love how God works. He's so intentional. He's always pointing us in the right direction if we listen. He's always speaking, and He speaks again if we need clarity. He's simply amazing.
Well, that's all I have for you today guys. Have an amazingly blessed day! But if for some reason your day starts to smell like day old broccoli, think on these things.
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