youth.

“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Ephesians 4:26

We cannot harbor our anger so that it turns into bitterness or leads to sin. However, our anger can drive us to do amazing things.

As I'm sitting here thinking about how this verse applies to me today, I'm honestly not very angry. I love it here at Potter's Field Ranch, and not a lot of things make me mad. However, as I prayed and thought about it more, one thing came to mind.

Back home, I was the youngest in a lot of things. Then, when I got here, I was among the youngest... again. I'm so grateful that God got me when I was young, and that He has saved me from wasting many years of my life. However, a lot of people don't understand that and look down on me because I'm young. I hear things like “Oh, you're only seventeen” or “You can't do that because you're not old enough.” The worst is when I hear, “You're going to have to be an adult now and start taking care of yourself.” It makes me mad because they don't understand that I've been pretty independent from a very young age and I've had to grow up really fast. I've even heard a couple times while I've been here at the Ranch, “Jaymi, you know you're going to have to be an adult when you get to the mission field, right?” They say it on the sole premise of my age. I know they mean well, but I become angry because I know that, and I've had to take care of myself for almost all of my life.

Besides that, God has also brought me here for a reason; and those whom He calls, He equips. Saying that I'm too young to be effective is underestimating the power of God in my life, and that makes me mad.

Throughout history, God has tremendously used the young. Josiah became king when he was eight years old. Mary was very young when an angel met her and told her she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. David killed Goliath when he was a youth. Jeremiah said, “Lord I do not know how to speak, for I am only a child.” God told him, “Do not say, 'I am only a child', for to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.” (Jeremiah 1:6-7). When others lessen the effectiveness of the gospel being shown through my life because of my youth, it makes me angry because that is not the heart of God.

However, I cannot let the sun go down on my anger. Instead of harboring it and letting emotions overtake my actions, I seek the Lord and ask Him for direction. It drives me to set an example to other believers. Therefore, I will continue to turn towards the Lord and not let what others say fuel my anger. God doesn't see my age, He sees my heart.

1 Timothy 4:12

“Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.”

September 2, 2011