Ephesians 4 vs. 31
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice (NKJV)
There is a vine that grows in South America called “the matador” when translated it means “killer.” This vine begins by growing at the foot of a tree, and as it winds up the tree, it slowly strangles the very life out of its host. When it reaches the top of the tree, it then blooms like a flower as if in some strange way it has gained a victory.
Are you holding on to your anger and bitterness, as if it is a badge of honor or a shield to insulate you from any further piercing arrows? Do you nurse it with hurtful words and vile thoughts, as if at the end of the road of bitterness there is a win or prize?
The truth is when you are in a constant state of anger and bitterness the body releases two chemicals.
Epinephrine
This causes an increase in your blood pressure and heart rate, it induces sweating, dilation of your pupils and increased blood to your skeletal muscles.
Norepinephrine
This causes constriction of your blood vessels, contractions of your heart muscles and dilation of your lungs.
These are your fight or flight hormones. They are beneficial to you in unexpected moments of crisis, or danger where you must respond quickly to preserve your life or the life of another. If you allow your state of mind to remain in a continuous cycle of anger and bitterness, these hormones can have a devastating effect on your body. Such as high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, dementia, arthritis, and a host of other ailments. In other words, the only crowning flower that you may receive from holding on to your “matador” resentments may be the one that is on your coffin. Time to let it go.
