I don't care to be another voice screaming into the digital mass of humanity concerning the issues of today. However, this has been on my mind and my heart and I am going to write it out here just in case this can help me as I process, and perhaps someone else.
Over the last couple weeks I have become rather uncomfortable as I scroll through my Facebook feed. It can feel like everyone is shouting at each other while our nation is seemingly falling apart at the seams. I am a middle-child who longs for peace and reconciliation. Conflict (especially conflict that appears to have no quick resolution) is uncomfortable.
But that's all. Just uncomfortable.
You see, while it seems to me as though the world just went crazy, I have to remind myself that the world has been crazy for a long time. The difference is that the world's craziness never really inconvenienced me; it never hurt, it never worried. Oh sure, every life is filled with its own trials, challenges, worries and fears. But I will freely admit that my life has been rather easy.
Meanwhile, in the rest of the country and the world there are people who live every day in pain and suffering and fear; fear of starvation, fear of terrorism, fear of abduction, fear of all manner of abuse and torment, and fear of death. That is only the short list.
The world has already been crazy, the only difference is that now it has made me uncomfortable. Big whoop.
So what do I do now?
As I've been processing all of this, my thoughts keep turning to James.
First I had to process my own thoughts on racism and my perceptions of people who are different from me. This is where I have to give a lot of credit to my mother, because as she home schooled my siblings and I, she didn't just teach us that there were other people in other places. We actually learned about how they live and why they live that way. I learned that there are a lot of ways to live on this big blue orb, and I could learn a lot from others if I will just pay attention and listen. I learned that "different" is not a synonym for "wrong." Rather, it is an opportunity for growth. Differences are to be appreciated and valued.
Even if--after I have listened and payed attention--I do not agree with our differences, that doesn't make you any less of a person, or any less important than me. But that lesson came from a different source. It is drawn out in several places in scripture, but the one that keeps coming to mind these days is in the letter from James, the brother of Jesus.
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." (James 3:9-10 emphasis added)
I grew up with the idea that ALL people--Every Single Person--have been created in the image of God. God loves everyone, and He loves each person individually. How could I even think of hating a person or a group of people for being different when they--like me--are created in the image of God? I am a little crazy and took it a step further to consider that even those who are wicked and commit horrendous atrocities are still human beings created in the image of God and loved by Him, and are therefore not to be hated so much as pitied and even prayed for. (But that's another issue for another day.)
As I have tossed these ideas around, I am reminded that James had more to say on the issue of discrimination.
"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If
you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here’s a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there'
or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?" (2:1-4 emphasis added)
In this passage, James gives an example of discrimination on the grounds of wealth. However, the example is only an example. The point is that we "must not show favoritism," nor "discriminate among [ourselves]." When we do, we are not just being unkind or a little rude. We actually become "judges with evil thoughts."
This passage is not suggesting that we go about life without any discernment. You will know a tree by its fruit. However, when it comes to the externals (wealth, social class, skin color, gender) we must not play favorites and thus honor or dishonor people based on our preferences. Remember, they are each created in the image of God.
That is the lens through which I try to view people. So now what? I'm still uncomfortable, and get the idea that I need to do something about it.
I see and hear the pain of those who have been suffering in our nation. I don't deny that our country (though perhaps in better shape than many in the world) is not perfect, and is filled with corruption at every level. We are, after all, talking about a nation filled with and run by sinful people (as we all are. Oh look, another thing we all have in common). But what can I do about it?
An easy answer is that I can pray for those who are oppressed, abused, and overlooked, and I can pray for our government to seek changes that are based on the wisdom of God and in line with the will of God. However, while that is not a wrong answer to the question--and should certainly be a first and continual step--James has reminded me that there is more to the solution.
"Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (2:15-17)
I know that I am not the solution to the problems of the world. There is only one person who is capable of that, and I will gladly turn to Him to bring about the changes needed in our nation. But once my "amen" is spoken, I have to be willing to go about my life ready to be part of His solution. It is a great mystery, the fact that God does not need us in order to accomplish anything, but that He chooses to include us in His work to accomplish things on this earth.
It is all well and good to pray for the well being of others, but if they have a need and I have the means and God says, "I hear your prayer, and I've given you the ability to answer this part of it," then that prayer doesn't mean much if I'm just going to sit on my self-righteous laurels waiting for God to do all the heavy lifting.
So what should I do?
Ultimately, the answer to that question is between me and God. What he wants from you will likely look different from what he wants from me. Again, "different" is not "wrong." If we each take care of our own assignment, the job is accomplished in a much better way than if I insist that everyone do what I am doing.
However, I will say that as I have prayerfully considered this question, one thing that has come to mind was written by--you guessed it--James.
"Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (1:26-27)
Again, talk is cheep...like, worthless cheep if I am just throwing around self-righteous platitudes. This entire blog post means absolutely nothing unless I turn around and act on what God has given me to do. "Look after orphans and widows in their distress..." I don't yet know what this means or looks like for me in the days to come. God knows. I'll try to follow Him.
I think the second part is also worth keeping in mind through all of this. "Keep oneself from being polluted by the world." It can be easy to get swept up in the power and emotion of everything going on in the news and social media; for everyone and in every direction; for or against a statement or action. I have to work at not letting those gut reactions to things I see and read draw me into the thoughts and ways of the world.
It helps to remember that, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12) When he says "rulers" and "authorities" I don't think he was referring to Caesar or the president because he just said that the struggle wasn't against flesh and blood. We must remember that the fight is not against this group or that group. That is how the world sees things. In reality, what we are really against is the sinful nature inside each and every one of us, and against the spiritual forces who seek to destroy that which brings glory to God--namely, the people who are created in God's image (in case you missed it before, that is everyone). In the process of the battle evil must be address, and our role in that does tend to involve confronting human beings. But even as we do so, we can't forget that those humans we are confronting for their wicked actions are just as much created in the image of God as those for whom we are fighting.
It can seem complicated, I know. The point is, don't try to tackle this from the perspective of the world. Look to God for direction and help. That is the only way we will ever find a real solution.
