Own It! The Impotence of Our Anger

     A recent CNN poll revealed that nearly 70% of Americans are angry at the direction our country is headed in.  Now, the pundits of this world will tell you that it can all be solved next week, simply by pulling the correct lever at the upcoming elections; that the answer to all our problems is political.
    But in order to solve problems, don't you have to be cognizant of them and correctly identify them?  Psychologists and psychiatrists will tell you that "a leading cause of anger is a person's environment."  So are we to deduce that SO many of us are SO angry because of problems that we see in our communities, our states and the national arena?  In other words, is it the state of our external affairs that have us so riled up?
    Let's say it was easy to identify exactly what those problems are; by setting about to solve them, does that resolve our anger?  Will that  make 70% of our population -- that's 221,270,000 Americans -- happier?  Excuse me, while I snicker to myself.  You see, I don't disagree that a large majority of us have reason to be angry at the obvious -- take a look at our collapsing economy, the state of our moral decline, our inability to define the enemy in our ongoing wars, the mis-education in our schools and colleges -- they are all viable causes for stress and fury.
    And it's easy to point the finger of blame at any number of individuals or circumstances.  Our government leaders, our entertainment industry, our political correctness, or our lax educational standards; they all fit the bill.  But ultimately, none of these conditions would exist if we had not lost our way.  If the cause of our anger is our "environment", just who is responsible for managing that which affects us so much?
    Don't we eventually have to turn the microscope on ourselves?  Doesn't the critical examination start with us?  It is my humble belief that our external distress is a direct result of our internal disintegration.  Let's face it ... as a people and a society, we have lost cohesion; we are no longer a united whole.  And what happens when particles of the same substance start breaking down?  The strength of the matter is weakened, and it falls apart.  That is what is happening to America.

     Whether we will admit it or not, our external affairs reflect our internal values, and our heart for God.  History has shown us that when a nation adopts virtuous principles and guidelines, it prospers; peace envelops the land and its citizens flourish.  (Think of how the Bible illustrates what happens to the nation of Israel when they follow God's precepts, versus the destruction and ruination that comes upon them when they are disobedient.)  We once possessed the ingredients for a successful nation: we exalted God in our land, and tempered our lusts.  But just like the ancient Israelites of the Bible, we have wandered from our roots, and are now paying the price of our rebelliousness.  Our leaders have embraced Power-at-any-cost as a worthy goal.  We have lost our reverence for sex as a private and beautiful experience between a man and woman.  We have demeaned the cost of a human life, as we pursue obscure and undeclared wars around the globe.  I can tell you that all this generates a significant degree of anger in me!
     But I think what disturbs me the most is how we have robbed our children of the chance to prosper and flourish.  They are on the verge of losing their birthright because we have relinquished our personal responsibility to guard what we were given (and what is right and virtuous and honorable), in exchange for a Nanny State and the freedom to tolerate absolutely any perversion or vice as "a right".  We must OWN the cause of our own anger!  I know that's painful to hear, but it's the truth!  It's time for some righteous self-judgment ... our corrupt government, our greed and gluttony, our vulgar displays of sexual depravity, and our lack of sympathy and concern for others, is because we've LET these things happen.
     Sure, it's nice to know that 70% of the country is not happy about where we are headed.  Great!  At least we stand a chance!  But until we recognize the part we've played in getting there, we will continue to point fingers and never look into the mirror of our souls.  What is it that will make us happy, and dissolve all this anger?  I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you this ... it is not a change in political parties or anything that is manifested in this world.  We've got to change what's inside us and get back on God's program.  Until we turn to Him as the guiding Source of this nation, we will continue to break down and break apart.  It's time to stop blaming others for our demise, and use our anger to set ourselves right again.  Just think what we could accomplish if a fraction of 221 million "angry Americans" repented of our ways and turned to God!  I'd like to see the results of that poll!!

Jeremiah 5:29    "Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?"