Some days it seems the world will self-destruct from anger. It’s evident everywhere. The news is filled with accounts in all walks of life, even about parents against their children.
Furthermore, the internet is filled with rude, even hateful, replies when people don’t agree with what is posted. It seems that civility has gone out of style and been replaced by anger and hatred that boil within, looking for any excuse to surface.
Recent events in Baltimore and around the country bring attention to simmering anger, but it’s everywhere, not just in struggling neighborhoods. Where’s the anger coming from?
The answer could fill a book. Social and economic conditions can foster anger. Hurt, loss, disappointment, fear, hopelessness, and a host of emotions are valid triggers of anger. Too many people are abused and misused. Many learn at home that anger is the way to handle those emotions. Most angry people who exhibit negative behavior probably have a valid reason.
However, if we look more closely at those same conditions, some people emerge with anger that cripples them in life, while others in the same family or neighborhood grow up to be well-adjusted, successful teachers, doctors, and lawyers. All come from the same environment. Why are some entrapped by anger while others escape?
I believe that one primary reason is because they turn their reasons into rights.
A reason is a statement or fact that explains why something is the way it is. It’s understandable that the feelings of pain, frustration, hopelessness, or worthlessness often lead to anger.
On the other hand, a right deals with what is morally correct, just, or acceptable. A reason turned into a right says, “It is not right/just/acceptable that I am treated this way, thus it needs to be corrected. Used as a verb, a right means to restore to a normal or upright position.
Holding a right for justice fuels the fight to establish that normal or upright position. If people cling to their rights, they feel entitled to their perception of justice and thus cling to anger, causing it to simmer within. The sense of entitlement traps them in anger.
While it is true that negative situations need to be addressed, people who take personal responsibility to overcome hurdles, conquer them. They may be buffeted along the way and may carry scars, but they escape the trap of anger.
However, those who feel it’s their right to not suffer, hold onto that right and thus their anger and bitterness. The harder they cling, the more they are entrapped and set in their dissatisfaction, anger, and bitterness. Consequently, the battle becomes more bitter and volatile—and less effective in correcting the wrong.
We can talk about the problem and point fingers, but most of us aren’t in a position to change the situations we hear about on the news. However, we can learn some things.
First of all, from my home in small-town America, it’s obvious that outbursts and violence don’t improve relationships or struggling neighborhoods. Instead, they make life more difficult. The same is true in my neighborhood. And in my home.
When I turn my reasons into rights, it creates problems in my home as well. As soon as I start thinking “He shouldn’t do ___, he ought to treat me like ___,” the sides of the trap begin to go up.
If I start fighting for my rights, my home becomes a war zone. It’s never worth it. Fighting for rights entraps and destroys.
“The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (Jas. 1:20). If we want justice—for things to be set right—we need to put aside anger.
James goes on to say, “Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (Jas. 1:21).
If we find ourselves ready to fight for what’s right, we need to first humble ourselves and seek God so we can get our hearts right before Him.
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday” (Ps. 37:5-6).
If our reason is valid, we can trust God with our rights.