You may be following the Oscar Pistorius trial (if you read the paper or
watch the news, it's hard not to!). I haven’t been watching every move,
but, as the embattled South African hero's name has been “trending” on
news sites as a result of ongoing testimony that will help decide
whether he will face at least 25 years in prison for killing his
girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, I’ve generally been keeping up.
What has caught my attention most (in addition to his behavior in the
courtroom) are reports portraying Pistorious’ personality. Text
messages, testimony and news interviews with people who reportedly know
him have revealed a brash, temperamental Pistorius who had been known to
fire a gun in at least a couple heated moments.
I could not help but reflect that the picture painted of Pistorius - and
this very sad situation, whatever the outcome - gives us practical,
biblical lessons about the need to control our emotions, especially
anger.
I’m not arguing whether I think Pistorius is legally innocent or guilty –
I don’t know, and the South African court will decide that based on the
evidence – but it does strike me that at the root of the events
resulting in Steenkamp’s death on Valentine’s Day last year could be the
outcome of a guy who has had challenges controlling his emotions. Now,
how he's been portrayed may not be accurate, but, since issues about his
allegedly temperamental persona have been raised, I can’t help but
wonder if him not having controlled emotions was the underlying cause of
the killing – whether it was premeditated or in the heat of the moment.
What we can learn from the tragic death - directly or indirectly - is that how we handle our emotions matters. In
Genesis 4,
right before the first murder, God gave some practical advice to the
soon-to-be-culprit, Cain. In a nutshell, Cain became angry at his
brother Abel because God accepted Abel’s offering from his work keeping
flocks but not his, from his work on soil (after
sin entered the world through
Adam and Eve's actions, various offerings were required to make amends for sins committed).
The text it is not completely clear why Cain’s offering was not
accepted, but the Bible says that “In the course of time Cain brought
some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also
brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his
flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain
and his offering he did not look with favor" (Gen. 4: 3-5a). As the type
of offering Abel brought – i.e., “fat portions from some of the
firstborn of his flock”, and Abel himself - is favorably described - and
Cain’s fruits - and Cain himself - is not favorably described, Cain's
attitude and his offering likely were not of the first-rate quality of
his brother's.
In response to God rejecting Cain’s sacrifice, the Bible says Cain got
heated. In reply, God said to him, “Why are you angry? Why is your face
downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you
do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to
have you, but you must rule over it” (vv. 6-7). Rather than heed God’s
warning, however, Cain killed his brother (v. 8). And, as we know,
killings of passion – and premeditation – have continued since.
What would have happened if Cain had controlled his emotions – in this
case, his anger? God’s words to Cain before he committed murder indicate
he had the opportunity to reverse course by doing what was right –
giving a good sacrifice, from a right heart - and not getting caught up
in the moment of feeling rejected by God. Instead, Cain chose to let his
emotions master him.
Ephesians 4 further provides that in our anger, we should not sin
so that we don't give the devil a foothold in our lives.
This implies that being angry is not always sinful, but what we do with
our anger can be – and can lead to lasting negative emotions, and sin.
Expressing anger – and other emotions – starts with inward feelings that
flow outward into our actions. Jesus said, “A good man brings good
things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings
evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks
what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). In other words, our words - and
actions - are connected to what is in our hearts. While at times
someone’s actions - or our own - may surprise us, the Bible indicates
that, whether we saw it coming or not, our actions are the result of
what’s in our hearts. Further, the Bible also says that
our hearts are wicked and hard to know.
How, then, do we avoid being mastered by our emotions? Proverbs 4:23
says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows
from it.” The heart is often referred to as the seat of our emotions and
mind. What feelings we allow ourselves to be caught up in, and what we
fill our minds with, ultimately determines how we behave. The wrong
thoughts and attitudes can lead us to make sinful, devastating choices.
Learning to protect our hearts from being overcome by adverse attitudes
and emotions can keep us bearing good fruit rather than bad.
Ultimately, however, the task of guarding our hearts is just too much on
our own, that’s why we need Jesus. The death and resurrection of a
sinless God
gave us a way to be made right with Him, without sacrifices such as the one Cain and Abel offered -
we need only confess with our mouths and believe - in our hearts - inJesus’ death on the cross and resurrection. Then, we receive His Spirit, which enables our hearts to change so that
we learn to say no to sin and yes to right living. Christians aren't perfect, but we are
being changed through faith in Jesus!
Whether Oscar Pistorius is guilty or innocent I don’t know, but I can’t
help but wonder to what degree a habit of acting on negative impulses
may have played a role in Steenkamp’s death, intentional or
unintentional. I can’t answer this question, but I think the image we’ve
seen of Pistorius is a chance for us to evaluate what – and who – has
our hearts. Pistorius is human, as we all are, and our hearts can all
wander off course, and anything can happen. Each day, who has yours?
