What Makes Me Angry, Breaks My Heart, and What I’m Trying To Do About It
A podcast challenged me to go through this exercise. I’ve done it before, but not in a long time.
Being that I don’t have all of the answers and that I’ve made more than my share of mistakes, I hope this doesn’t come across as self-righteous.
But as a person who stands in front of eighty teenage students for five days a week in a public school classroom, not only has this recent school shooting stirred me up, but the subsequent public reaction has as well.
So, here goes.
What makes me angry?
- It makes me angry when Satan “steals, kills, and destroys”, leaving nothing but carnage as a calling card that he was was ever on the premises of people’s lives.
- It makes me angry when leaders use their influence solely for personal gain.
- It makes me angry when celebrities use their influence to give our youth bad information about life, leaving them to crash on the rocks as they go on to cash their checks, snort their next line, and post their next half-baked social media update.
- It makes me angry that people who are gifted with words and charisma use said gifts to deceive the desperately hurting rather than find a way to heal them.
What breaks my heart?
- It breaks my heart that there are so many fainting sheep and so few shepherds.
- It breaks my heart to see so many youths with so few role models.
- It breaks my heart to see good people powerless to break the chains of addiction in their lives.
- It breaks my heart to see so many hurting people unable to find healing.
What’s the big problem that I’m trying to solve?
- I’m trying to be living proof that Jesus can transform human brokenness.
- I’m trying to spread a message of hope that actually delivers.
- I’m trying to expose Satan’s lies for the fraudulent claims that they are.
- I’m trying to persuade people that doing good always requires personal sacrifice.
- I’m trying to help young people have a shot at a youthful, and innocent, adolescence that sets them up for having a shot at a healthy adulthood.
- I’m trying to finish my own race well.
As you can see, I’ve got my plate full.
Pray for me.
I’ll do the same for you.
Jathan,
What a challenge that must have been from the podcast. Wondering what the podcast was if you’d share. Maybe I missed that?
The things that make you angry, make God angry. The things you mentioned that break your heart must do the same for our heavenly Father. And as far as what you are doing to solve the problems, that must be frustrating as well. And yet, God has something in mind for each of us to do. We cannot, nor are we expected to do it all. Even Jesus did what the Father set out for him to do, but not everything. And yet, he was able to say, “It is finished.”
I’m so glad that a good friend of mine once shared, that for us to be responsible Christians we are to listen for God’s voice and then respond to that.
I love that you are stating the things that are wrong. And I think of all the people who walked by the injured man and that God still had one person who would see to his needs. We are those people. Anyone who knows the Lord personally can be one of those people. I’m so glad that God can stir our hearts up till we respond to his voice. And sometimes, all he has to do is whisper. It all depends on how hard we’re trying to hear him.
Very well said, Anne.
Love this: “Even Jesus did what the Father set out for him to do, but not everything. And yet, he was able to say, “It is finished.” “
By the way, it was Mike Kim’s Brand You podcast. About marketing, of all things! Haha. Episode 146 I think.
Jathan,
A challenge many of us experience daily. Not easy. Exhausting.
I grew up in a house where Dad was always on a “crusade” ( a life mission.)
Soon, I found myself on my own “crusades.” Fighting evil.
It demands a price off of the crusader.
Nothing wrong with it. To the contrary.
I’m rediscovering writing (fiction & nonfiction) as a subtler form of crusading, of bettering and changing the world. Including blogging.
Our challenge is how to better network and get the words of hope and change and challenge out.
And that’s what we’ll do—spread the word (and the Word.)
Thanks, Jathan!
That’s so well said, Daniel. Yes, burned out as a pastor from “crusade fatigue.” Also, I must place my four children before any “crusade”. These are complicated balances. I love your “subtle crusade” comes viewpoint.