September 16, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Gautama Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama)

“When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.” Buddha

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Buddha

(Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, or simply the Buddha, after the title of Buddha, was an ascetic and a sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded.)

“…do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:26-30

We all have met someone who just seemed to be angry all of the time. They are exhausting people to be around, don’t you think? Always arguing about something, always complaining about someone, always disagreeing with you or someone else, they are in a constant state of anger, and as such, a constant state of tension, stress and conflict. Holding onto anger is just as caustic as the Buddha mentioned, that it hurts us more than it hurts others. Jesus teaches us that there are two commandments we must always work on keeping – loving G-d and loving our neighbor. To love others means we need to learn to love – and that may include accepting the love of others – and learning to love ourselves. And, it will be very, very hard to love others if our hearts are filled with anger and hate.

Pastor Dave