Reflection to Insight

One week. One week into 2021 and we find ourselves face to face with more destruction. My friends violence has continued to ensue as people find themselves in a state of anger over our societal circumstances. Protests mixed with riots and violence have occurred over the past several months. Citizens have felt the need to stand up and make themselves heard when something happens that they disagree with. People are angry. And as the anger festers, the wrath unleashed only gets worse. Guys there is nothing wrong with speaking ones mind. We all have a voice. We all have the right to our opinions and the right to share those opinions. It has been awesome to see how many of you have reached out and expressed where your beliefs lie in a productive and peaceful manner. It’s been awesome to see how you have shown the love of God through your words and actions. I want to encourage you all to continue to spread messages of love and support. Right now we need it quite a bit.

But today I felt the need to call out the civil unrest we face. Many of us know the news of the Capital being stormed yesterday as people raged out against the results of Biden’s campaign. This is once again an example of the hate our country is poisoned with. Over the past several months we have had protests over racial injustice, and political concerns. Once again I bring attention to the fact that we have a right to share our opinions. There is nothing wrong with peacefully protesting. But too many times violence has broken out and left many people hurt. Something that starts peacefully quickly erupts into chaos. Civilians, officers, and protesters have all been harmed by these events. At some point it has to stop guys. If it doesn’t, our society will break entirely and cave in on itself.

So how do we start to rebuild from the mess we are in? The first thing I will say is that we cannot in anyway shape or form, truly recover unless we let God help us. Jesus is the master of love, and He knows the best way to rebuild and reunify people. Too often we try to fix a bad situation in our own power. Our Lord sees everything though, and He is all powerful. He can bring healing to a bad situation in ways we never could. If we trust His guidance things will get better. We don’t need to worry about finding the right steps on our own. Our job is just to follow God’s directive. Everything else will fall into place once we do that.

An issue that seems to add fuel to the flame is a lack of humility. Part of what leads to the anger and outbreak is the idea that you are right and everyone else that disagrees with your stance is wrong. When this happens, inevitably the opposite party pushes back with equal if not more force. The cycle continues to spiral and swallow up everyone in it’s wake. Showing humility is by no means easy. It requires that you decide to hear someone else out, and see things from their perspective. You don’t have to agree, but you must be willing to understand. It requires that you accept you may not have all the answers. Again this can be hard, but it will bring about peace if it is something we all do. When everyone acts humbly, it opens the door to unified change. Philippians 2:3-4 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” When we start to value other human beings the way God does, love will begin to cure these destructive patterns.

2021 is just getting started. I pray that this year we will all see God move in some incredible ways. That He will draw people closer to Himself and heal the brokenness that hangs in the air. That the personal relationships we hold with Him only grow deeper. And that those who don’t know Him come to know Him. Our Lord is the answer and key to fixing everything going wrong. As I mentioned showing others humility, we must also show God humility. Walking in our own strength only gets us so far. God never intended for us to try and do that. Not only are we trying to bear more than He wants us to, but we end up making things more chaotic more times than not. I would say that it’s better to just do things His way. Not only will our load be lighter, but life will just run more smoothly and actually build back up the way it should.

1 Peter 5:6-7 – “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” So many people make comments about how our nation has fallen away from God, and that our problems result from that. I have to say that I agree. The issues we are facing are, at the very least, a result of us trying to fix a mess in our own human strength. This often times gets us wrapped up into sinful actions, even when we didn’t mean to. It’s very easy for a drive towards justice to turn to one of vengeance if we are not careful. By walking with the Lord, we are much stronger and more resilient. We can fight against the sinful urges that seek to disrupt the good things we want to see happen.

Guys I hope you all are having a blessed day. I know this message may have been a little heavier than what I normally post, but I felt that it needed to be said. There is just too much trouble occurring in our world, and it needs to be addressed. I know that through it all God is with us. If we stick together and follow Him things will be okay. Again, it’s awesome to see how outspoken many of you are and to see the different ways you are spreading positivity. Thank you for shining a light in the darkness. A lady came to Anderson last year in the fall as a guest speaker, and at one point in her sermon she said something pretty profound. I wish I could remember her name, but essentially her words were, “You don’t have to agree with someone in order to walk arm in arm.” This kind of mindset is part of what we need for things to renew themselves. I encourage all of you to keep up the good work and spread God’s love as you are. Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and I’ll catch you all in the next one!