In light of the events that have taken place in the last few weeks and months in our nation, I’ve reflected on what my response as a Christian leader but mainly a Jesus-follower should look like.
There has been racial conflict, governmental conflict and political conflict to top off the daily reality of tense relationships, difficult circumstances and spiritual failures. It is too much. It is overwhelming and terrifying.
When I turn on the news or read another social media post, part of me wants to be afraid because of the happenings in today’s world. My knee jerk reaction is to fear for my family, myself, public servants, but mostly for the future. There is conflict constantly brewing to the point I foresee war breaking out in our own country. How’s that for inspirational reading?
This is not the world I want my children to grow up in but it is the world we have.
So, sure, my initial response is to be paralyzed with fear of the unknown–concerned for the stability in my little corner of the world.
But, I’m not afraid. I’m not.
You see, I’m not my own. I haven’t been my own for a long time. Neither do my children or my husband belong to me. I have laid it all down.
I am a stranger in this foreign land anxiously awaiting the day when I get to go home and rest at the feet of Jesus.
Even now, I bow at the feet of King Jesus. My heart cries out as the apostle Paul,
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.–Galatians 2:20
My life is not my own, so who should I fear? Really, the Spirit that lives inside of me is greater than the hate and violence in this world (1 John 4:4)!
The conflict we are experiencing in our world is awful. But it isn’t new. Things aren’t worse than they have ever been. Things have been bad since the day Adam and Eve turned away from their Maker.
What we are experiencing is the by-product of a society who has rejected their Maker. We live among a people who do what is right in their own eyes. There is nothing absolute and standards are spurned. Indulgence is king.
Paul wrote to the Philippians:
For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.–Philippians 3: 18-21
My heart breaks for those who are enemies of the cross. God, have mercy on our broken, stiff-necked world.
7 comments on “The Heartbreak Around Us”
Well, I have read Samuel 1 & 2 for the first time, it was eye-opening what man has been doing all along. What is hard is trying to convey this urgent message from God. You can see Satan rounding up the sheep and leading them to slaughter. I saw a talk on TV, the take away that stuck with me, “diversity = idolatry”.
I bought a mattress and we very upset that I bought the wrong one. That night I had a dream. God said, “see how a bad choice can very upsetting, look at all the ones that are making the choice to believe or not”. Then I saw all the ones close to me being pulled away fiercely, like in a hurricane because of their choice to not believe. It was so real. And it is real.
yep…there is nothing new under the sun!
I am grateful for the blessing of peace in this un-peaceful world.
I am grateful that I have no need to fear tomorrow because my God is already there.
I wish that everyone just automatically knew and believed at least as much as I do. It’s so terrible to realize you are talking with someone that you truly care about who doesn’t & won’t believe, and who lives life in hopelessness and anger over the injustice in the world.
Even knowing that I am covered by Christ and my God is in control, the pain can be overwhelming. Watching helplessly while so many suffer ridiculous hatred and violence beyond my comprehension – I know we are not called to be apathetic, but sometimes feeling it so deeply is too much.
I do get so discouraged when I hear that same hatred extended to a god that “lets these things happen” rather than my God who makes good of our messes. When so many people believe that God is responsible for the state of this world, how will they ever trust in Him? And if I cannot make my voice match what God intends, how can I ever be part of the cause – without doing more harm than good? I cannot feel anything but absolute sorrow over those who believe that He simply doesn’t care or that He is somehow orchestrating this horror.
I am so grateful for my unceasing hope bought by Jesus and for a God who loves and wants love in return. I am anything but grateful for an enemy who has the world convinced that there is no hope and that it is because of God. I may not be saying all that right, just trying…I guess.
<3
All we can do is pray and keep trying to lead people out of sin to God. I know you may get weary but we must keep trying so others can feel the love he has for all of us.
so right…we must not be weary of doing good.