Human Nature, Divisions, and Disaster

There hasn't really been a lot of "good" news lately. Violence and terrorism inspired by race, religion, or politics all over the US and around the world, the very real possibility of war or nuclear conflict with North Korea, then the hurricane and flooding in and around Houston- that's a lot of bad news in a short span! It's easy to become depressed at the divisions and anger on display in so many of these places and situations. To become afraid thinking about the possibility of a madman at the controls of nuclear weapons pointed at who knows where (and the realization that regardless of where they might actually be pointed that they could fall anywhere). To empathize with those who've lost everything in Houston and their plight- the sheer devastation. It's all enough to make one want to cry- the physical release of all the pain, anguish, and suffering we see daily- compounded by the enormity of it all. There seems to be little hope and far less "glimmering splendor" to the future than at any time I can remember. The ideas of racial harmony (right now reconciliation even seems far fetched on a daily basis) or character being the guiding factor in any interaction with a person hasn't been this far removed since Martin Luther King, Jr. first uttered the words, "I have a dream..." so many years ago. Who thought 2017 would look like this?

But- even in the midst of all the bad news, destruction, and pain there is a glimpse of hope. I can almost catch glimpses of Michael Jackson and the world's celebrities of every color standing on a stage and singing, "We are the world..." as I look at Houston. A diverse city full of people of every color, creed, religion, and social status who have decided to forget what divides and focus on what matters most: life. People literally picking up their neighbor to carry them through rising waters, boats piloted by folks from every walk of life being vessels of salvation to those in need, first responders from every corner of our country working until they are literally unable to continue for the cause of someone they don't know, who isn't like them, who they quite probably disagree with. It's an illustration of how things ought to be- love for others (or to paraphrase Jesus- loving others how we want to be loved) guiding unity to accomplish what could not be done otherwise and desperately needs done.  My only wish is that it didn't take something so horrid to push people outside of themselves, but after almost 20 years working for the church, I've seldom seen people step outside of themselves without an outside force causing them to look beyond themselves. That sounds cynical, and in some ways it is, but it is an unfortunate truth.

Human nature dictates that we look to our own self interest and look primarily at ourselves almost all of our time. In other words, human nature is self-preservation and hard wired into our psyche. It's what we do- I look for me and mine and everyone else can shove it. It was the nature of things (and continues to be!) until God asked us to step outside of ourselves. He began by telling His people- there are more guidelines to take care of people in the Old Testament than most realize!- and it culminated in Jesus. The famous "golden rule" of "loving others as we love ourselves" from Jesus is a direct quote from Leviticus. In the midst of a book on the rituals of Jewish religion, instructions for the Jewish priests, and the holiness code for God's people comes something profound. As Isaiah prophesied- "true religion is caring for the widows and orphans,"- and that is the heart of God for His people. They are set apart to very literally BE God in the world, but the Jews missed the memo. Jesus came and doubled down on God's commands- Love God, love people being the simple summary. But we miss the mark SO often. We are mean, selfish, backstabbing, and often downright evil- and that's just talking about the people in the church! How then can we speak about hope if we are not living with hope? That is the conundrum the people of God have faced since the beginning- how do we show people God when we are still selfish people at our core?

The answer is outside forces. Just like in and around Houston we see so much hope in the midst of tragedy, the outside force has pushed people outside of themselves and their normal routines. It's the best of all that we have to offer- selflessness- in loving others the way we'd want to be loved. It's a hard lesson and one we mostly miss, unless forced to deal with it. I had to deal with road rage after I may (or may not!) have completely lost my mind on an interstate highway in Illinois with a church van full of teenagers. I was instructed to pray for the person I was upset with- even those who are driving like jerks then lean WAY out of their Suburban's window to flip a church van the double #1 with their Jesus fish on the back. I began to pray for them to arrive alive, for them to have safety as they drive (often the prayer starts, "God, please help those morons not to kill anyone as they drive..." then morphs into what I ought to be as I pray), and for whatever has led them to drive crazy (or mean or stupid) to be resolved in their life. It changes me. My anger (justifiable or not!) begins to melt away as I pray for them, putting myself into their shoes. The same principle is at work when we selflessly serve others- we've put ourselves into their shoes for a moment and are doing what we would want done for us for them.  That changes the world.  That is hope. That is humanity the way we were made, not the way sin has twisted us. That is the hope of glory- Christ in us. As we pray for Houston we need to remember the lesson we see there- love transcends everything and must be the rallying cry of Jesus' church to transform this world so deeply in need.  May we remember these lessons tomorrow and the day after that and the next and the next so that love is truly the token of God's church and we can be the beacon of hope for our broken world...