"And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not; am I my brother's keeper? And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood cries unto Me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shall thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the LORD, my punishment is greater than I can bear.”
Genesis 4:8-13
In two separate incidents, on two different continents, two young men woke up with the decision to kill as many innocent people as they could. What can make someone so angry that on a given day, he wakes up contemplating how to kill as many people as possible prior to killing himself?
Each day we make the decision to diffuse our anger so it does not destroy us. Our brain has the capability to engineer ways of coping with anger to help us with our own survival. For some, exercise allows them to physically work it out. For others, yelling is key in rehashing the incident for a resolution. And still for others, spending time alone enables them to reach a cooling off period to aid in their own recovery. The last resort is violence. All violence is a decision, and any one of the three coping mechanisms above can lead to violence.
The exercise can propel you into a frenzy to fight. The yelling can escalate into violence. And, the alone time can move you into contemplating premeditated murder. By the time someone feels the desperation of violence or murder, there really is no turning back. The same brain that showed us ways to diffuse our anger, can now create a sense of paranoia; a skewed sense of fear coupled with anger that can lead to the murder of innocent people. We read this in Genesis 4:1-8 where Cain enacted the first murder by killing his brother Abel. Cain’s envy that Abel’s sacrifice was more pleasing to God, coupled with his anger at God for not accepting his sacrifice, propels him to murder Abel.
Think about it, Cain was able to speak directly with God, yet he still committed the second sin. Remember, our walk with God is contemplative; we must ask for Divine guidance every day to help us with some level of introspection to keep us from committing grave acts that can place a wedge between us and the Spirit of God. Anger is inherent; it is going to happen if you feel wronged. -However, all violence is a decision. L.
Study Reference: Genesis 4:8-13, Romans 12:19-21
Excerpt from: "The Second Sin." In The Master's Hands: 365 Daily Devotions For Everyday Living.
Copyright © 2014 by Lavona E. Campbell
photo: istock
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