Fury Of A Family
What does "Fury" mean? It means violent, uncontrolled anger, or wild rage. It can also describe the wild or dangerous force of something, like a storm. Additionally, it can refer to a fierce or violent person."
Can families exhibit "fury"? Indeed they can. I have had an anger problem for years. Blowing up over little petty things that frustrated me. Has it affected my family? Yes, it has. They look at you as being like a volcano, that could erupt at any time. And everytime you do, it causes a lot of bitter feelings, that last through the years.
It really is a form of selfishness, when you don't stop to think about how your anger affects the other members of your family.
But anger is not the only way that a family can exhibit fury. Selfish expectations, can stir up negative emotions, and bitter feelings. When the other members expect you to accommodate their every whim and wishes. When you don't measure up to what their selfish standards are, you either lash out in anger, or you isolate yourself from the family, saying, "I do not want anything to do with you ever again!" Is that a form of "fury?"
The Bible offers profound insight into the struggles within families, tracing familial discord back to the earliest chapters of Genesis. Cain and Abel, the first siblings, were torn apart by jealousy and unbridled anger (Genesis 4:1–8), setting a precedent for how sin can fracture even the closest bonds.
James 4:1–2 asks, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” This reveals that much family conflict stems from internal struggles—pride, envy, selfish ambition—that spill outward.
Jesus Himself acknowledged that following Him could divide households (Matthew 10:34–36), not because He desired conflict, but because truth often challenges comfort and exposes hidden fractures. Yet Scripture also calls families to reconciliation and peace: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). The fury of families, then, is not new—but neither is the hope for healing through humility, forgiveness, and love.
I am learning to allow the Lord to help me with my anger problem, and my attitude of expectation. Are my emotional outbursts, and unreasonable expectations, doing as James says: "Producing the righteousness of God?" Or are they producing a "family fury" or the fruit of the Spirit, that the apostle Paul mentions in Galatians 5:22-23? GP