Seeing the Reality + the Redemption
Knowing where to look and what to see and how to interpret information is hairy right now. If my last post led you here, you need to know this first: My education left me sorely lacking when it came to a basic understanding of government and economics. To this day, I don’t think I can adequately explain the electoral college. So if you are here, looking for an in-depth analysis of our current situation from the framework of our country’s systems and policies, you best go elsewhere.
While I cannot offer you a neat-and-tidy answer, something we can tuck into our pockets and make us feel a little more secure, what I can give you is a place to wrestle and to move forward together in a posture of learning and of wanting our nation and our world (every nook and cranny) to flourish.
Because here’s what I do know: God is with us. Right here. In this moment. All over the world, as we sip hot tea or sit in the car pool line or wring our hands at the most recent headlines, God’s presence lingers in our midst. And He is more than nearby. God is not just peeking over our shoulders or hanging out until He can take us all home. God is active. In the words of Jesus, He has already begun to usher in the kingdom—not a kingdom of someday, but of now, “on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:9-13).
What I hope is that we will not fall prey to the pervasive fear hovering among us, but rather, that we might see the world with kingdom eyes—with a clear vision of both our earthly realities and the eternal redemption that is already at work. May we find ourselves in what N.T. Wright calls that in-between space where heaven and earth “overlap and interlock” (Simply Jesus, 2011).
While we seem impossibly divided and disconnected and filled with uncertainty, we can know that with God…
Brokenness is an invitation into new beginnings, an opportunity for a little more heaven to come to earth.
With that in mind, the best I can offer you is a little peek into how I’m leaning into God in this moment and invite you to come along.
So here we go…
Begin with God.
I don’t want to sound trite or over-simplistic here, but I also cannot start anywhere else. Kingdom eyes come from being rooted in the love and the truth of God’s story—not ours alone, not even our country’s or our world’s. To see clearly, we must begin with God, by communing with Him in His Word, in prayer, in lament, and in slow, mindful reflection. We must take our questions to Him. Let’s take a cue from Lore Ferguson Wilbert, who recently wrote, “I want to walk in the counsel of God and let the weight of his whole word fall on me, not the words that come from my own noggin or the noggins of others online.” A-to-the-men. (PS: Her full post is worth your time).
Be mindful of noise.
Right now, the world is one great, big bar fight—especially on social media. People are slinging opinions from across the aisles and denominational lines. Broken glass can be heard in almost every direction. And while I find social media helpful in asking questions and understanding the experiences of others (on all sides of an issue), I don’t find it to be a reliable place to form my beliefs and opinions. Critical thinking best occurs in the quiet. When the noise presses in, let’s give ourselves permission to step away.
Diversify our sources.
We are often inclined to go looking for answers to confirm what we already think. However, it is unlikely that “the answer” falls in line with one particular political party, denomination, news source, leader, or policy change. To see the world more clearly, even if it is only to adhere to the ol’ Stephen Covey adage to “seek to understand, then to be understood,” may we gather our information from a variety of sources and diverse perspectives. And as we compile that information online or through local and national news, podcasts, magazines, and articles, may we heed the words of Shannan Martin, to “listen without an agenda” (The Ministry of Ordinary Places, 2018).
Ask for discernment.
We can find all kinds of information out there, and that can be both intimidating and scary. But if we are asking God questions and filtering information through His character and the gospel story, we don’t need to fear ideas or opinions that are different, new, or altogether wrong. These are opportunities to press even further into God. We can go to Him with our questions and sit with Him for however long it takes. And if we get it wrong? He has given us the gift of repentance.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5)
“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)
Even if answers don’t come or we remain confused, we can know that we are no less loved. We can continue leaning into the steadfast love of God, knowing that His Presence is the only answer we need.
Have conversations, not arguments.
Our opinions are much less important than we think (and defending them even less so). Even as we rally for truth and healing, as we stand up for justice and mercy, we must do so in the way of the Spirit—the path of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). We can honor each others’ humanity by seeking out stories and asking questions. We can approach conversations in humility, because (again with an N.T. Wright quote):
“It is fatally easy, and I mean fatally easy, to typecast ‘people like us’ as basically good and ‘people like them’ as basically evil. This is a danger we in our day should be aware of, after the disastrous attempts by some Western leaders to speak about an ‘axis of evil’ and then to go to war to obliterate it. We turn ourselves into angels and ‘the other lot’ into demons; we ‘demonize’ our opponents. This is a convenient tool for avoiding having to think, but it is disastrous for both our thinking and our behavior” (Simply Jesus, 2011).
Be in it for the long haul.
Like me, perhaps you have a tendency to do too much, too soon. (I’m that girl who historically wakes up on January 1 and tries to run five miles having not been to the gym in months. I’m also historically the girl who quits running by January 5.) When emotions are high or we become filled with what we think is a spirit of righteous, the tendency is often to throw ourselves into causes and then (as my Grandma Dottie would say) “piddle out” after a few weeks.
Real understanding takes time. We don’t have to know everything now, but rather give ourselves permission to grow and to learn over the long haul. Like fine wine, we are becoming. Let’s not be in a hurry to rush good things but rather be willing to engage in the process.
Meet me in the comments.
If you have a story to tell, a question to raise, or a resource you’ve found helpful, feel free to share it in the comments—with the assumption that we are not here to prove a point, but to pursue kingdom eyes together.
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