Happy Monday everyone!
I'm no Einstein, but every once in a while I think it's a healthy thing to identify trends and thought patterns and examine them. For instance:
1. There's been a tendency in the religious press to use the term "these are perilous times." As if there haven't been perilous times before. People who lived during World War II thought it was a perilous time. As did those who lived through World War I, or the Great Depression, or the Civil War, or the Flood (i.e. Noah and the Ark). I'm pretty sure children of the descendants who wandered through the desert with Moses were told, "these are perilous times!"
Maybe we can give ourselves a collective break and stop using this term so often when trying to set this current period of world history apart from all others?
2. One of the offshoots of #1 is that some keynoters in the media tend to call up a litany of current sins as evidence that God is really, really fed up with us, so much so that God's about ready to pull the plug on planet earth and, by default, us. About three years ago I read the Bible straight through four times in a year's time. One lesson I learned from doing that is sin is part of human nature. Even the chosen folks fiddled with it, sometimes in a very big way. Since our spiritual ancestors were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, we've sinned. And as far as types of sin go, there's nothing new under the sun. In fact, it's kind of boring to see that we tend to repeat the same old types of sins throughout history. This isn't to say that I'm complacently condoning sin, I'm just not allowing myself to get sidetracked by its continued existence.
When we respond to others by judging, using mean statements or exhibiting rude behavior, we are probably sinning.
3. Next year (in the United States) it's a presidential election year. Already the politics around the candidate selection process has become mired down in accusation, deception and half-truths. That's nothing new. It's also not new for candidates to call on the name of God as if God has given them a personal endorsement. Followers of candidates do the same. I've seen bumper stickers that boggle the mind in their interpretation of God's thought process.
I don't mean to disillusion anyone, but God isn't a Republican. God's also not a Democrat, or an Independent. No political party perfectly captures the heart of God.
4. Some writers with a faith-focus tend to ignore or gloss over the fact that life is suffering, with or without God. There are terrible things that happen on a regular basis. We do each other a disservice if we ignore this fact. When we don't acknowledge another person's pain, or admit our own, we are passing by opportunities to give and receive love, mercy and grace. One of the most potent ways by which God's mercy, grace and love are shared are through times of deep and inexplicable pain.
When we admit our hurts, that doesn't disqualify us from encouraging others. Admitting our pain can actually help others know they are not alone in their suffering.
5. I came across a brilliant response to a one-word editorial the other day on Facebook. (The word in the editorial was "no," written in response to the question: Should a state legislator who was recently dismissed from the legislature for misconduct be allowed to run for another seat?) The writer on Facebook was concerned about the lack of thoughtful discussion around the topics of the day. This writer said he was saddened by the lack of articulate, well-thought-out editorials. The same writer concluded by saying, "Just because I have strong opinions doesn't mean that I don't respect yours."
Having the ability to speak our mind while actively listening to others who may not hold the same opinion is a safeguard towards maintaining a government that is truly free. It's also a sign of respect for others at it's most basic level.
Speaking of which, thank you for reading this post! Feel free to respond with your own thoughts! I'm listening!
Photo Credit: www.libguides.brenau.edu
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