Anger/Wrath

Tonight, I began the first lesson of my new unit plan. For the next eight weeks, we will alternate lessons on the seven deadly sins and the nine fruits of the Spirit.

Seven Deadly Sins:
*Wrath           *Sloth
*Gluttony        *Lust
*Greed           *Pride
*Envy

Nine Fruits of the Spirit:
*Love             *Joy
*Peace            *Patience
*Kindness       *Goodness
*Faithfulness    *Gentleness
*Self-Control

We started off with wrath; or anger. At the beginning, as usual, I opened with an activity. Now, I wanted to do this to make a fabulous point because I have read about it. But at the same time, I did not want to do this activity because it's quite heart-wrenching. I filled a trash bag with blankets and other soft things and taped a paper target to the outside. I gave everyone a sheet of paper and instructed them to draw a picture of someone they can't stand; someone whom they would love to just punch in the face. And one by one, I taped their picture to the target and let them kick or punch the crap out of it to release all of their pent-up frustrations with their person. I even did it too. At the end, I removed each person's paper and flipped the target over to reveal a picture of Jesus Christ. This was to show that when we hurt others, we hurt God. We are ALL His children and he loves each and every one of us. We talked about how God doesn't want us to kick the crap out of our enemies; He wants just the opposite.

Romans 12:20
"If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads."

We read this passage a couple of lessons ago, but it's good to be reminded. It doesn't matter what someone does to make us angry. It doesn't matter if we think they deserve to be lashed out upon. We are commanded by Jesus to be kind to EVERYONE. I heard a quote recently that I really liked: “Jesus said to love your neighbor, not love only those you like.” We fall guilty of this all the time; well, I do. I tend to show more kindness to those I especially like than I do to those I don’t feel as close to. The thing is, that if we want to spend eternity with Jesus, we need to not only believe in Him, but be kind to His people. This is what will be said to Jesus’ followers at the end of time. It is also mentioned in Revelation.


Matthew 25:34-36
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

Then, we did another activity called Dear Abby. We elected two “Abbys” to be our advice givers and everyone else wrote down an issue they needed advice on. The “Abbys” took turns and read them aloud, then gave advice on them. My favorite bit of advice was something I had never heard before. The issue was name-calling. Abby said to remember that the hurtful words you say are like nails in a wooden board. You can take the words away (remove the nails), but there will always be that hole where the hurt was driven. It’s easier to forgive than it is to forget. This is why it is important to be careful what we say when we are angry. We ended with a prayer and played knockout basketball for the rest of the time. One of the boys pulled the hoop over and a frog hopped out of the bottom! My attention was officially diverted, so the girls and I played with the frog while the boys were shooting hoops. Successful day? I think so.