The Cain Connection
Exploring the Consequences of Unaddressed Anger and Jealousy
A kid gets bullied at school. The school and the family do not know how to help the child deal with all the junk that is happening. The bullying leads to deeper and deeper hurt.
Hurt people hurt people. So, as the deep wound festers, the child takes a weapon from his home and kills the bullies. Now, his life is effectively over. Not only is the kid’s life over, but the dad may go to prison for the rest of his life.
What happens to the mother? What happens to the siblings?
As parents, school teachers and workers, pastors, and spiritual leaders, we must urgently prioritize dealing with the hurts that life brings. The consequences of unchecked toxicity are severe and demand our immediate attention.
There’s no way to build an utterly safe bubble, a completely harmless environment. We all know what it’s like to be bullied and hurt and feel the urge to strike back. We must be prepared to face this reality.
There is an answer.
Biblical Story of Cain
Consider the story of Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, who struggled with jealousy and anger towards his brother Abel. This biblical narrative is a powerful example of the destructive consequences of unchecked toxic emotions. Genesis 4:5-16
God rejects Cain’s offering. The hurt is his anger towards God or his wounded pride in not looking good in front of his family.
Like the bullied kid, Cain’s wounds turned toxic. But is there a journey to restoration instead of destruction? The potential for healing and restoration is real, and it’s what we should strive for, offering hope in the face of toxicity.
Cain’s jealousy and anger turned into violence towards his brother Abel. Toxic behavior left untreated has irreversible consequences.
We must address the issue. Repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation can treat toxicity. We must examine our hearts, seek healing, and extend grace. The gravity of the situation demands our attention and action.
Steps to Take
We must humbly take responsibility for our response to how we are treated or the circumstances in our lives.
We must rip the bitterness out by the root.
Through the Lord Jesus, we can find healing and share it with our children or those under our care.
Find forgiveness for yourself in Christ and then share that forgiveness with others.
Get a new heart. Salvation, the transformative process of accepting Jesus Christ as your savior, makes a new person out of every believer. Through this spiritual rebirth, we can find healing and overcome toxic emotions. This means that by accepting Jesus Christ, we can experience a profound change in our attitudes and behaviors, leading to a healthier emotional state.
Warnings
The moment you feel jealousy and anger rising in your heart, you must take action.
The Holy Spirit warns us by convicting us of sin, even when it is still in the early stages of formation, what we might call the ‘embryo stage. ‘ We want to justify our sinful attitudes, but we know better.
See the end in the beginning. You have the story of Cain to show you just how far your bitterness can take you. It can destroy your marriage and your relationship with your children and even cause a kid to bring a gun to school and kill others his age and the teachers that he considered should have better protected him from the bullies.
God gave Cain the opportunity to turn and fix his life before such horrible things happened. Cain refused.
As the “hurt,” the parents or teachers of the “hurt,” we need to be there in the moment to help the “hurt learn” to deal with what is happening. We have the opportunity to turn things around before the horrible consequences set in.
Let’s get into the Word and let God guide us.
Consequences
Bitterness led to the murder of his brother. It led to a life of exile and shame.
Unchecked jealousy, bitterness, un-forgiveness, and anger led to death and destruction.
Toxic emotions dictate horrific actions. Each step we take down the road to allowing our bitterness and anger to rule causes our heart to be more and more hardened to the touch of the Holy Spirit.
A dad in prison, a mom at home alone, children raised without their dad, financial consequences, the embarrassment felt by all due to allowing the hatred to run wild.
Get control of your emotions, or they will control you. Bring your thoughts into captivity to Christ or become the captive of your thoughts.
Rage has repercussions.
