Let’s Act
My family traveled a lot, often in developing countries, when I was younger. My little sister would cry when we saw children begging on the street. I thought she was crazy. I couldn’t understand why she felt so emotional about people we didn't know. I believed we were doing all we could and that it was someone else’s responsibility to end systematic poverty.
Be Present
I desire to escape this exhausting world. I want to avoid the stories of racism, bigotry, and sexism. I want to hide from the scenes in my life where other people treat me less than because I am a woman. I want to ignore the fear-mongering that our religious and political leaders spew.
Escaping is easy. Netflix’s countdown to the next episode is a convincing argument to ignore the world and lose myself in a never-ending world of fiction.
The Faith to Believe in the “We”
My cultural lens that colors everything with American individualism made me once again blind to the fullness of God.
While leading a bible study at a camp, whose theme was the beloved community, I made the classical American mistake. I switched “we” with “I” changing the verse to “For I am God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” And while that’s not wrong, it’s not right either.
Thankful for an Invitation
I’m glad President Trump made derogatory comments about Haiti, El Salvador and African countries. His comments are a line in the sand that forces Christians to take a stand. God is clear about is command to love all people. When he made man and woman, he said that he “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” All people – from all countries – are made in God’s image. When we chose to denigrate God’s people, we are choosing to denigrate God.
Part of a Larger Story
Like a good series, the individual episodes of our lives weave together into a larger story. Writers of good television shows know where the show is going. Every episode builds towards a common story line. When a writer doesn’t have a clear road map of the where the story is going, episodes stick out because it appears that they are not building towards a common goal.