I had an epiphany
This past month I’ve tried writing but I couldn’t put coherent thoughts together. We were in the process of moving homes, which left us homeless for 30 days. We were privileged to travel and stay with friends, but juggling our lifestyle with 2 kids under 5 was stressful, fun, adventurous, and aggravating all at the same time. On top of that, everything going on in our society makes me feel sad, frustrated, and annoyed. From social injustice to coronavirus pandemic to conspiracy theorists to politics.
It. Is. Exhausting.
What to believe?
Who to believe?
You’re wrong…You’re lying…You’re left…You’re right…
Finger pointing…blaming…arguing…picketing…
I saw several meme’s online that describe the difference of opinions in church culture. It went something like this...
4 weeks ago
Church member 1 - why are you reopening the church?
Church member 2 - why did we ever shut down in the first place?
3 weeks ago
Church member 1 - why don’t you care about the struggles of minorities?
Church member 2 - why don’t you care about the struggles of the police?
2 weeks ago
Church member 1 - why don’t you wear a mask and require others to as well?
Church member 2 - why don’t you care about my freedom to choose?
The reality is...You’re damned if you say something, you’re damned if you don’t.
So instead of trying to force myself to write, I spent majority of my time this past month enjoying my family. I did a lot of listening, reading, and learning. I watched and listened to how people discussed the problems mentioned above with very little response or rebuttal. I was less interested in proving points or exposing a lack of education on said topics. I also practiced letting others have the last say.
What I learned the most is two-fold:
Very few people are listening. Both sides of every issue above have a lot of valid points. Both sides also have a lot of ignorant points. No one is 100% “right” and we have a lot to learn from each other. Empathy seems to be a lost art.
Love trumps everything. I could be wrong but possibly this is why Jesus told his audience love is the only way people will know you are a follower of His Way. Maybe our world is so divided because we don’t know how to love people who believe different than us. Maybe our world will begin to change when we view every human being as a beautiful soul created in the image and likeness of God regardless of their religious beliefs, social stance, or political affiliation. Maybe the world will look to the church when the church can figure out the only command Jesus told us to live by - to love as Christ has loved you.