Why Are We So Bent On Being Angry?

"What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure."

James 4:1-3

 This is NOT a political commentary, just my weird mind sharing some information.  Have you noticed how we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy being angry?  We don't like what someone said or did so we get angry and yell, rant, rage, and generally cause a lot of noise.  

Why are we so angry so much of the time?  You'd think we had forgotten that we only have a few trips around the Sun on this rock and we'd try harder to make them actually rather pleasant.  Yet, for some reason, it seems as if humans aren't happy unless we are unhappy and making a bunch of other humans unhappy.  "Misery loves company" as the saying goes.

Let's look at today's passage and chisel out a few nuggets, shall we? 

First, we fight, quarrel and argue because of our own desires!  Let's face it, if our truest desires were as pure and altruistic as we want others to believe, we're lying to everyone (including ourselves) and falsely believing that God's okay with it.  But if we were to, say, take our focus OFF of our own desires and work for the betterment of others...(if I may quote Louis Armstrong) "What a wonderful world this would be."

Second, when we can't get what we want...what do we do? We try to figure out how to get what we want.  We want a bigger house or new clothes or new car and we don't have the money so...."God will understand if I cut back on my giving for a bit. After all, He's got all the riches of the universe at His disposal."  Let's face it, humans are selfish!

Third, we ask Abba for what we want, yet we don't get it because Abba has other plans for us, like helping a neighbor who is going through a tough time or has lost everything in a tragedy, or needs food.  Yes, I realize there are a LOT of organizations with their hands out wanting your "only $19 dollars each month."  I'm not saying we are to be tightwads, nor am I saying we should just through great wadges of cash at every hand that is stuck out.  We need to learn is the face Abba is not going to give us everything we want, yet He'll provide exactly what we NEED.  

Finally, today's passage isn't so much about arguing, plotting and scheming. It's a reminder that we need to get our heart right with Abba.  It's a reminder that we need to focus on HIM.   It's a reminder that we need to look beyond ourselves and see what opportunities Abba brings into our lives every single day.  When we focus on HIM, we will experience peace, contentment, caring, and the desire to do for others.

Think about it.