Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” Matthew 21:12-13 NIV
A few weeks ago Pastor Whit (@whitneygeorge) preached a message titled Be Angry (above) that really got Mandy and I thinking about what it is that makes us angry. One thing that I have noticed in the last few years is that my fuse has gotten shorter. This is not a good thing especially because the things that I am getting frustrated about are things where I feel offended because things are not going my way or are (perceived) offenses against me or my pride. Examples are:
- I want a quiet & peaceful house after a long day at work but my 6, 3, & 1 year old want to express themselves at the top of their lungs.
- I finally have a day with no meetings so I should be able to get some good traction on a task that needs to get done, but then everyone and their brother decides to stop by because they are stuck and they think I can help them.
If I look at the examples above in the right light, I would realize:
- I have been at work all day and my kids have missed me and just want to tell daddy all about their day and are just excited to see me.
- The people who are asking me for help believe that by coming to me they are going to get their problem solved and I should be honored that they respect me enough to come to me.
The challenge issued by Pastor Whit (coming straight from scripture) is to be angry about what makes God angry and that anger should drive us to action. What are the things within your sphere of influence that anger God that you can do something about? Is it:
- Helping the woman on your street who is raising her kids by herself because dad checked out and left them high and dry by playing catch with her boys or offering to fix things around her house?
- Supporting (or becoming) one of the people who goes into those dark places and rescues kids caught in the trap of human trafficking?
- Supporting the AIDS orphans in Africa who are caught in that vicious cycle because the prevailing belief is that men can get rid if AIDS by having sex with a virgin?
- Buying a meal for the homeless guy on the street who can’t provide for himself for one reason or other?
The challenge for us is to forget about our pride and open our eyes to see what is going on around us that angers God because it is hurting his children and do something about it. Imagine what the world would look like and how people would be affected if all Christians actually got angry about what made God angry and did something about it instead of only getting angry when our pride or our expectations are not met.