What do you get angry about? What fires you up?
Sometimes I wish I was more angry, to be honest. I see people passionate about a cause – whether it’s the refugee crisis, or the loss of life through war, or the mistreatment of animals – and I envy their fighting spirit.
Apathy can grow on you – especially if others around you accept the status quo too. But I also think some people emotionally manipulate others to the point that they’re barracking for a cause they don’t actually believe in. Not deep down.
Where’s the balance?
I heard this quote which made me think about turning our frustrations into action:
“Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” (Augustine of Hippo)
We all hope for something. Whether it’s on a grand (perhaps unrealistic) scale like ‘world peace’ – or more ‘everyday’, like the hope that our baby will sleep through the night.
Hope is often turned to Anger when it’s not satisfied.
Perhaps you see the opposite of peace, and your baby simply won’t sleep through the night…
Then we turn to the daughter named Courage…
This is when our Anger turns into action.
Some things of course, we need to simply accept. But most things require a response. An action. A plan.
For so many starving children in war-torn countries, their only hope is that one of us in the West would provide their next meal. For women in domestic violence situations, their only hope might be that they last an entire day without a beating.
What makes us angry? What fires us up?
Let’s ask God to whisper in our ears the needs around us. Sometimes all we need to do is open our eyes, and our hearts start beating for the lost – the downtrodden – the hurting and abused.
Anger can overwhelm, or it can turn into passionate, active hope for those that need it so desperately.
And hope will always begin, for me, with the resurrected life of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He is where I start and finish. My beginning and my end. My only chance of turning conviction into action; empathy into real-life plans to help.
I’ll leave you with Romans 15:13, which says:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
It's a God thing... 
Ali, this is a topic close to my heart. For many years, I had a serious anger problem, and it surely wasn’t related to Hope or Courage.
But now, my anger comes from a healthy place and it does give me hope and courage. It has energized me when I’ve needed to do hard things and make hard choices, thus resulting in changing something.
Thanks for bringing up a topic sometimes considered ‘taboo’ within the church walls.
PS: I have been thinking about you and your family so much lately, and am hoping you are getting the answers and help you need for your son.
I’m so glad you were able to work through the anger, Denise, and come out the other side.
It’s wonderful to get to a place where we can allow healthy anger to manifest itself in good works for others which really make a difference.
May God bring us out of apathy and indifference, for his purposes…
Thank you so much for your thoughts for our family as we navigate parenting (it’s so wonderful to know there are so many caring, praying friends from around the world). Autism is becoming clearer and clearer to us. Just at the stage of trying not to let it overwhelm us, and seeking helpful strategies which will make our son’s life better/easier. God continues to guide, and connect us with amazing people… He is good 🙂
Apathy does come easier than anger our courage for me. May God move my heart into action.
So thankful that, while we don’t always know how to act to help others, Jesus goes before us and shows us how…