The World that We Live In- A Prayer
Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of The Killers, included a beautiful lyric in one of his songs, "The World that We Live In."
This is the world that we live in, and I feel myself get tired.
Boy, is this ever true. I just started a new job this summer, which is so exciting, but in all of that excitement I have been so busy adjusting to working life that I really haven't had time to poke my head out and look up at the world around me. In some respects, that's a good thing. I have been able to temporarily shield myself from state of our nation and the hurtful rhetoric being used against the least of these.
However, when I do have time, or if there is something that is just too big to ignore, it hits me like a train. I am suddenly, instantly aware of just how broken our world is, and how deeply we need our Lord Jesus to come.
Maranatha.
And, when I get overwhelmed… When my thoughts are too vast and too incomprehensible and I have a hard time sleeping at night, I find it helpful to write about it. This process is very much for my own benefit, but maybe some of the pieces I try to put together will make sense in a language that you can understand.
This is the first presidential election that I could take part in. I am not trying to boast, but I followed the candidates pretty closely, and I did my research for every ballot that I cast… Even (well, especially) at the local level. Maybe I took my research a little too far, but it seems like everyone around me who had been voting for a while just kind of took the process for granted. (It is also possible that my OCD ensured that I was hyper-aware of how certain candidates and certain policies would affect both the people I cared about, and the people that I am called to care about... but that's another story for another day.)
My point is, I was crushed when Trump won the election. I cried, and I mourned. I talked to my mom on the phone about it, and she assured me that everything would be okay, like a good mother does, and that it's normal for the media to be on this ruthless frenzy after a new election, especially when parties change. "It will all blow over before you know it," she told me, "and it won't even make that much of a difference."
And maybe I'm just a worrier, and maybe I am a little overempatheic, but things are definitely much more different now, right?
This is no ordinary election.
The piercing, hurtful way that we all treat each other, whether online or in person, is somehow universally accepted… The blatant disregard we have for truth and honesty… Surely this is unprecedented. Surely this can't be the way it has always been.
The craziest part for me is that God knew about this all along… The second that sin entered the world, He knew. He knew that immigrants and refugees seeking a safe place from harm would be mocked, ridiculed, and prohibited from entering our country. He knew that our earth, His Earth, rather, would be decimated and destroyed by the people He entrusted it to. He knew that race and class would divide, even after He sent His Son to die and make us One. He knew that fear and hate would reign in the hearts of his people. How wholly must He mourn.
How deeply must His heart break.
And my heart is breaking, too.
I was told that I am to be in the world, but not of it.
I know that I am not of this world, but it is so hard to continue to be in a place plagued by so much hurt and so much sin. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are needed now more than ever.
Lord, come.
Help us continue to fight the good fight, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Let us stand on the side of Your truth and justice, and honor the poor. Let us be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Amen.
This is the world that we live in, and I feel myself get tired.
Boy, is this ever true. I just started a new job this summer, which is so exciting, but in all of that excitement I have been so busy adjusting to working life that I really haven't had time to poke my head out and look up at the world around me. In some respects, that's a good thing. I have been able to temporarily shield myself from state of our nation and the hurtful rhetoric being used against the least of these.
However, when I do have time, or if there is something that is just too big to ignore, it hits me like a train. I am suddenly, instantly aware of just how broken our world is, and how deeply we need our Lord Jesus to come.
Maranatha.
And, when I get overwhelmed… When my thoughts are too vast and too incomprehensible and I have a hard time sleeping at night, I find it helpful to write about it. This process is very much for my own benefit, but maybe some of the pieces I try to put together will make sense in a language that you can understand.
This is the first presidential election that I could take part in. I am not trying to boast, but I followed the candidates pretty closely, and I did my research for every ballot that I cast… Even (well, especially) at the local level. Maybe I took my research a little too far, but it seems like everyone around me who had been voting for a while just kind of took the process for granted. (It is also possible that my OCD ensured that I was hyper-aware of how certain candidates and certain policies would affect both the people I cared about, and the people that I am called to care about... but that's another story for another day.)
My point is, I was crushed when Trump won the election. I cried, and I mourned. I talked to my mom on the phone about it, and she assured me that everything would be okay, like a good mother does, and that it's normal for the media to be on this ruthless frenzy after a new election, especially when parties change. "It will all blow over before you know it," she told me, "and it won't even make that much of a difference."
And maybe I'm just a worrier, and maybe I am a little overempatheic, but things are definitely much more different now, right?
This is no ordinary election.
The piercing, hurtful way that we all treat each other, whether online or in person, is somehow universally accepted… The blatant disregard we have for truth and honesty… Surely this is unprecedented. Surely this can't be the way it has always been.
The craziest part for me is that God knew about this all along… The second that sin entered the world, He knew. He knew that immigrants and refugees seeking a safe place from harm would be mocked, ridiculed, and prohibited from entering our country. He knew that our earth, His Earth, rather, would be decimated and destroyed by the people He entrusted it to. He knew that race and class would divide, even after He sent His Son to die and make us One. He knew that fear and hate would reign in the hearts of his people. How wholly must He mourn.
How deeply must His heart break.
And my heart is breaking, too.
I was told that I am to be in the world, but not of it.
I know that I am not of this world, but it is so hard to continue to be in a place plagued by so much hurt and so much sin. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are needed now more than ever.
Lord, come.
Help us continue to fight the good fight, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Let us stand on the side of Your truth and justice, and honor the poor. Let us be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Amen.
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