There is a lot of hurt and pain in our world.
It seems there always has been.
And yet, there are some days when it feels much closer to home. When the weight of it all seems to be bearing down us in ways that cause us to stumble and fall.
Much of it, I believe, can be traced back to fear. Fear and hate. Fear that’s been left unchecked, unchallenged, and undeterred.
Fear, it would appear, is often tied to ignorance. Ignorance, not stupidity. Ignorance as unknowing, producing fear as a result of what is unknown and unfamiliar. Fear that moves us towards pulling back, building walls, and creating a divide. And when there becomes a clear cut “us” and “them,” hate is never far away.
So what are we to do? How are we to respond? How can we help others make sense of what’s happening when we can’t even get a grasp of it ourselves?
While every situation in our world is unique, deserving a response and call to action all its own, I believe our first impulse needs to be in the direction of Christ.
If we want our thoughts to be something other than fear-based and hate-filled, they need to be filtered through the truths of God. If we want our actions to be more than knee-jerk, self-righteous, self-justified over-reactions, they need to be sifted by the Spirit of God. If we want our lives to help make a better way for tomorrow, then our response today needs to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
There will likely be no easy answers, quick fixes, or immediate change to the pains and hurts we experience. The world is a messy and complex place.
But as someone who feels compelled to, as best I can, love and live in this world as Jesus did, I need to be intentional to take fear and hate out of the equation.
I cannot and will not combat fear with fear, hate with hate, or evil with evil.
Peace in our land. Reconciliation in our relationships. Joy in our world. These things will not come into the world, or our own lives, on their own. We must invite God to have his way – first in us and then through us – if we are to have hope for a different kind of future.
And I do. I do have hope for our future. But we must be willing to learn from our present. We must make choices now – hard choices. Choices that are selfless, humble, peaceful, and that likely cost us something. We must see ourselves as implicated in the world – as it currently is and in helping it to become as it should be.
In this life, sitting on the sidelines really isn’t an option. The choices we make carry weight of their own. We are either actively working for something…or passively allowing something else to happen.
So, in the midst of the hurts and the pains of this day, how will you choose to respond? With all of the fear and hate that is swirling and swelling, how will you choose to love and live in this world?
No easy answers. No quick fixes. But change is possible.
Let’s commit to do the work (of prayer, of love, of reconciliation, of seeking justice and loving mercy) that we are called to do, and let God do what only God can do.
