Infection

 

The Infection

Ephesians 4:25-2725 “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

I remember when I was growing up my mother would tell us not to mess with a cut that she had cleaned up and put a band-aid on. She would say something like, “If you keep messing with that you’ll get it infected.” Since we lived in the days of antibiotics and had never heard of anyone dying of infection it really wasn’t a great deterrent.

On growing up, I learned that infection was one of the greatest causes of death in the days before antibiotics. In fact, I read somewhere that infection often killed more soldiers than in battle. Often it wasn’t the wound that killed it was the infection that came in later. I talked once to a retired army nurse who remembered the miracle it was to get penicillin.

So what does this have to do with the scripture I quoted? I believe often it isn’t the instance of anger that flares up when something happens, but it is the infection of unforgiveness that is the real problem. This is why Paul says don’t stay angry and deal with it quickly (before the sun goes down). Scripture and science say that holding on to unforgiveness is bad for you. So, let it go. Don’t keep messing with it (bringing it up) because if you do the infection will set in and the infection of unforgiveness will bring death if you aren’t careful.