A Man of Wrath

“I…am a man of wrath!
I am a man of anger!
I am a man of strife, of malice!

I am a man of wrath!!
I hear your words,
your words to convince me.
Your words saying, “Turn away! Turn away!”
Fools!!

Wrath!
Anger! Strife! Malice!
RAGE!!!

I am a man of WRATH!
Fury! Anger! Strife!!
(weaker) pain…
(shake it off)
No! Malice! Rage!!
WRATH!!

I am a man of –“
love



The man of wrath began to look around. Was there a voice just then? He began again, but quieter, timidly.

Wrath!




Nothing. He thinks to himself he must have heard things. He begins again just as loud.

Anger! Strife Malice!
Rage!!!

love

NO!!! WRATH!!!!

He shakes his fist vehemently into the air. His screams are louder, almost desperate. His face is contorted, the wrath painting his face red. The sweat begins to bead on his forehead.

love

His body begins to waver now. The wrath in his face begins to loosen. The red begins to fade as the tears begin to build. His hands begin to drop from the fists in the air to the helplessness near his side.

….

The weakness begins to set in now. He fights it…

….Wrath! Anger!! Strife! … he is weak
Malice…

…Rage?

love

The disbelief sets in now. As if fighting a mighty battle is being waged in his mind, the confusion on his face builds. Where beads of sweat began, trails are beginning to form as the sweat mounts and traces its way down his face. Confusion begins to once again give way to wrath…His breathes become heavy…he begins to heave… he prepares his lungs…

NO! Wrath!

love

He begins to falter…his body begins to lower as his knees begin to sway…

Wrath! Please,… wrath!

love

Closer…closer to the ground as his knees begin to fall

…lo- lo- …?
…


Disbelief. Confusion. One last attempt…

NO!! WRATH!!

love

…HOW CAN YOU LOVE?!
HOW?! WHY?!?

The desperate cries…
the weakened man…

love

NO!! PLEASE NO!!
NOT ME!!
I AM A MAN OF WRATH!!

i will make you a man of love

He tries to reason, tries to explain why he is not worth the effort…

all my wrath…

love

The persistence of the love is beyond him.
Who could love such a man?

how will you take such wrath?

why?

mercy

LOVE

no…

After all he has done, how can he accept this love?

LOVE

please, not for me…

Anyone, Anyone, oh please, please…
not for me…please…

LOVE

please…

LOVE

He can bear it no longer. Who can stand against such love? Who can persist? He falls to his knees. He covers his face in shame. He writhes in agony at the mere thought…of love…of the cost of love…

could it be real?

MERCY!!! Oh, God, please…mercy!!
I am a man of wrath!!

i will make you a man of love

The tears flow through the hands.

He weeps…

The man of wrath…is wrath no more…but love…

When the tears begin to slow, he wonders, is this still real? Is it really love?

love

He braces his knees…slowly he rises.
He is weak.
He is broken.
He is not the same man.

I was a man of wrath…
I will be a man of love…

Voices around him now…angry voices, terrible voices

“Fool!” they cry.
“Love” he responds.

“Fool!” they shout.
“Love” he responds.

“Fool!” they laugh.
“Love…” he says with difficulty.

“Fool!” they roar.
“Love!” he cries

“Fool!” they scream.
“Love!” he shouts.

“Fool!”
“Love!” he roars

“Fool!”
“Love!” he screams.

“FOOL!”
“WRATH-“

It comes out… And he is ashamed…

love

He weeps.

Still?

love

He straightens himself up.
He is called a fool several more times.
A few times more he slips…yet each time he hears love afterwards
The years pass on. He slips into wrath much less.
Soon wrath has left him entirely.

All that is left is…

Love!

Love!
Love!

Love…




LOVE


This is not just some made-up story. This is the story of who I was. This is the story of who I am. And it is the story of who I hope to become. Thank you, Christ, for your love.