I’m falling back into an old bad habit.
There’s no doubt – we’re surrounded right now by negativity. COVID, political divisions, racial tension. Add the work we do with human trafficking, the constant awareness of evil and injustice – it’s sort of taken over my awareness.
I’ve surrendered my agency, allowed this sense of foreboding to become part of my story. It’s unhealthy for anyone. For a guy who struggles with clinical depression on his best days, it’s a path into darkness.
I had this crazy thought. Maybe we should have chosen a more uplifting cause where we’d get a bit more positive feedback. Then I had another thought.
It’s not about me!
Jesus was crystal clear. He told us we would find Him in the hard places. USAmerican Christianity has created this this false notion that following Jesus is about our rights, about comfort and doing things on our terms.
That’s not what Jesus said. I think I need to remind myself, and I suppose I share this because you might as well.
Of course it’s important to care for ourselves, to avoid the vortex of negativity. It’s important to control our own stories and make sure we don’t allow the anger and division around us to become part of us. We need to turn away when turning away makes sense, not joining every fight while peacefully following Jesus into the hard places to confront injustice.
Jesus never asked us to fix the world. He also never said, as some would claim, that we ought to ignore what we cannot change. We’re called to confront injustice whenever we encounter it. Our silence always benefits the oppressors.
He asked us to do what we can, where we are, with what we have. If we do that – no more, no less – we can rest and trust Jesus for the outcome.
I need to do that, without traveling that path into darkness.
In a few days we’ll celebrate the day the Light came to the world.
Let’s follow the Light!