Brian Watman, in a Boston Globe article, “‘Have a Nice Day,’ the Conversational Irritant,” reports on a psychological counselor who had an “ODD” experience with a client.
The therapist had tentatively diagnosed the patient with ODD—Oppositional Defiant Disorder. You probably don’t have a psych dictionary on your apps, so here’s the Google definition of O.D.D.: “A behavioral condition characterized by a persistent pattern of angry, irritable mood, argumentative and defiant behavior, or vindictiveness.”
At the end of the counseling session, the therapist innocently said, “Have a good day.”
The client responded angrily, “Don’t tell me what to do!!”
That was the moment the therapist nailed the diagnosis!
Watman concludes the article observing, “You may not have experienced an ‘O.D.D.’ person, but we all may deal with a difficult or draining person (of course, we’re not difficult or draining, right?!).”
When I read this story, it produced a slight chuckle. Then I thought about the years of ministry and realized that I’ve known people who fit the definition of having O.D.D. They were critical of the Shepherd’s decisions, nitpicked my sermons for any minor mistake, made negative comments in Bible classes, and were a disruptive force in business meetings. Yep. I’ve encountered some O.D.D. folks through the years.
If you’re one of those people who seem to find yourself constantly angry, irritable, and argumentative, you may need to see a physician. Not necessarily a doctor of psychology or a psychiatrist, but The Physician—the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.
In our Wednesday night Bible study, we just concluded a study of Matt Henneke’s book, A Heart Like Jesus: Learning to Be More Like God’s Son.
The Bible emphasizes that the heart of life, as well as the heart of being right with God, is all about the heart. The wise man advised in Proverbs 4:23,
“Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.”
The Bible uses over 50 different adjectives to describe the heart. Some of the negative images include a wicked heart, a hard heart, and a proud heart. Some speak to a hurting heart, like a broken heart, a grieving heart, and a heavy heart. However, there is much in the Bible that exhorts us to have a heart pleasing to God, with words like…
- Pure
- Upright
- Contrite
- Honest
- Wise
- Clean
- Good
- Glad
- Sincere
- Sound
- Steadfast
- Merry
- Cheerful
- Perfect
The way to achieve a spiritually healthy heart is to emulate Jesus’ heart. In our study, we observed that Jesus’ life was characterized by a humble heart, a wise heart, a devoted heart, a loving heart, a compassionate heart, a forgiving heart, a pure heart, a brave heart, a sacrificial heart, and an enduring heart.
The apostle Paul exhorted, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). To have the attitude of Jesus is to have the mind of Jesus—the emotional and spiritual reaction of Jesus—which is the heart of Jesus.
In similar passages, we find these admonitions pointing us to Jesus as our example to emulate. In Romans 8:29, we are challenged to be “conformed to the image” of Jesus. In Romans 13:14, Paul uses the metaphor of being clothed with Jesus when he writes, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Then Peter plainly expressed our responsibility by reminding us that Jesus left us an example that we “should follow His steps” (1 Pet. 2:20–21).
When we are clothed with Christ, imbibe His attitude, and follow His example, the apostle Paul says we put off bitterness, anger, clamor, wrath, evil speaking, deceit, unrighteousness, and malice (Eph. 4:17–32).
Sounds like the perfect prescription for healing the deadly disease of O.D.D.
You’re welcome. No fee required. The prescription is the gift of God.
By the way, “Have a nice day!”
—Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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