Free Man

The power of anger is quite destructive - if we give it safe haven in our hearts, it can damage us in so many ways, and when it flows out from us, it can be hurtful to those on the receiving end. Ephesians 4 states:
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

We are called to be kind, to exhibit the presence of Christ in us. And, the power of His Spirit can help us to overcome the angry or resentful tendencies that do not glorify God. When we encounter those harmful emotions, we can meditate and rely on the Word of God, applying His principles and releasing His peace.  As those verses teach us, we can replace emotions such as bitterness or anger with kindness and forgiveness.  God's resources can truly set us free.

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As a believer in Christ, our responses to negative circumstances should be proper and not sinful, including reacting in anger, as James 1 instructs us:
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Sidney Holmes is a man from Florida who, according to the New York Post:

...was accused in 1988 and later convicted of an armed robbery at a Broward County gas station involving two victims.

He was linked to the crime because his brown Oldsmobile Cutlass was similar to the description of the vehicle driven by the suspect, the Innocence Project said.

Despite Holmes’ alibi and the differences between his vehicle and the one seen at the scene, Holmes became a suspect. He was subsequently identified in a second photo line-up — even though he was overlooked in the first array of images.

Holmes was sentenced to 400 years in prison.  But, that's not the end of the story. 

The Post article says that "The Broward County State Attorney’s Office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU) began investigating the circumstances of Holmes’ conviction in November 2020 and encountered several inconsistencies in the evidence leading to his conviction." It goes on to say: "Investigators ultimately concluded that 'the totality of this evidence suggested that Mr. Holmes was a victim of eyewitness misidentification and was likely innocent.'"

CBN News stated that Holmes "left prison a free man...after prosecutors looked into the circumstances around his conviction and determined it was on shaky ground, CBS News reported." CBN reported that "Holmes contacted the State Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit in November 2020 to declare his innocence over the incident on June 19, 1988." The CBN story continues:

But it’s what Holmes said after his release — a forgiving response after decades of being separated from his friends and loved ones and prevented from having a career or life of his own — that truly stands out.

“What would mad do for me?” Holmes told WPLG-TV. “With the Christian faith I have, I can’t have hate. Just have to keep moving.”

The article adds:

“I know this day was gonna come sooner or later, and today is the day,” he told WPLG-TV. “I can’t put it into words. It’s overwhelming.”

Holmes, too, cried earlier in the day when a judge cleared the way for his release.

His ambition now is "to open a food truck business," according to CBN.  

Sidney Holmes after decades in prison asked the question, "What would mad do for me?"  He said that with his "Christian faith," that he "can't have hate."  We can ask a similar question: What does "mad" or "hate" do for me?  This speaks to the insidious nature of anger.  We have to guard against allowing deep-seated resentment and bitterness - the root of bitterness, as Hebrews 12 calls it - from become ingrained within our nature.  The power of indwelling sin - including anger, can be expressed outwardly, and hurt others, as well as ourselves.

Holmes' story can also speak to the futility of "blame."  It is so easy to adopt a "victim" mentality, which can lead to mental, emotional, and spiritual paralysis.  Sometimes negative consequences will result from our own misdeeds; other times they will happen due to the mistakes of others. But, it is not productive to possess the wrong attitude toward those we think have wronged us.  We can instead turn to the Lord and entrust our lives to Him and His plan for us going forward.