John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

As I began attending church for the sake of the girl, it became apparent to me that she was not interested in me romantically. She had a boyfriend in the group and it was clear he wasn’t right for her. I was right about that but when she loosened herself from his grip, she took up with a young man who would eventually become her husband.

As I focused on the girl I sat and heard the Word of God preached. Now mind you I wasn’t paying attention to the Word as much as I should have at the time. The Word however got in, was heard and does what the Word was meant to do, make contact.

One Sunday as I pondered my fate in the light of my brother’s history and was earnestly concerned about my own lack of control of my anger, I confessed my heart’s fear with something that might be consider a prayer. “Lord I don’t want to be like this.” That was all it took.

This occurred during the alter call and suddenly I found my left arm going up. Looking back over time, to an event that happened more than fifty-five years ago, to know the truth of that moment, I cannot rely on my memory. I have to rely on the relationship that I have with my Savior today to say of a certainty what really happened.

Matthew 13:23a But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; 

I did not know what I was doing, there was no understanding. This was not my salvation moment. How or Who raised my hand is irrelevant to the moment. This was my introduction to my sovereign God who took the anger from me.

As my hand went up, my anger left me and has not returned.