There is a lot that is out of our control right now. There are principalities and powers running amok, about which some of my friends are somehow giddy and others are in absolute turmoil and all in-between. Institutions are falling or at least being pushed down like a strange Jenga game; again, some could not be happier and others are experiencing deep suffering over this, directly and indirectly.
Speaking for myself, I was not put on this earth to pay homage to any given leader, institution or authority, whether I like them or not. My higher power is the highest power as far as I’m concerned, and the rules I am committed to play by in this life are the rules my God commands. These rules form me as a person, demand that I give dignity to all other people as neighbors and people made in the image of God. They do not keep me safe. They do not make me comfortable. They demand that I care about friends and enemies alike. They demand that I recognize the meaning of freedom through the lens of Jesus, not status or money or achievements or government. And as will be familiar to many of us, what is the bottom line rule?
Galatians 5:13-14 (nrsvue)
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Freedom in Christ is not about fighting for ourselves but for our collective well-being. Freedom in Christ is a freedom from bowing down to smooth talking authorities, power-mongers or opportunistic oppressors who would benefit by me denying my neighbor, whenever and however they may appear in life. Instead the priority is to exercise personal integrity, care and kindness through thick and thin, through sunny days and stormy ones, through one government administration to the next. God does not call us to character formation for convenience. We are called to be the most faithful version of ourselves in all situations, and with all creatures of God, and to let the chips fall from there.
It is constructive in this hour to be standing up for what we believe is right, and for all of us all along the political opinion spectrum to be exercising our voices. These are important freedoms we should not be intimidated into giving up. Free speech -whether I like what someone is saying or not – is essential to our democracy. In that regard, I appreciate those who have concerns and glee alike fully sharing that out. May we continue.
Kindness is not the same as being a pushover, nor is it denialism or self-righteous behavior. In fact, love and service to one another can be much more nuanced and challenging than politeness or bullying, either one. Speaking truth in kindness is powerful, rather than mutually exclusive. Kindness requires that we be all of who we are as we regard all of who someone else is, eyes wide open. It requires that we look for the image of God in that person. Mother Teresa used to talk about engaging every person as if they had the face of Jesus. This is why a life of faith is a life always ready for more evolution; it is not for the faint of heart. There is an infinite amount of work to do and by which to be formed along the way. Thanks be to God.
Of all that is well beyond our individual control, even as we make our voices heard, there will be a few things that do and will remain within our control: our character and how we treat one another. Institutions can fall, but only we can decide to tear our own societal fabric irreparably apart. We do not have to be manipulated into giving up that which is actually in our control. Centering ourselves on integrity, kindness to others, and refusing to deny the dignity and complexities of our neighbors are all essential features of faithful pursuits in the Kingdom of God. If I am liberal, that means I am humanizing conservatives. If I am conservative, that means I am humanizing liberals. I recognize people I do not understand have thoughts and feelings that matter, have a framework for living that is legitimate as much as my own, and that I might even be able to learn from if we had space to develop rapport and trust. We are not just neighbors, but in many cases, we are would-be friends.
Some of us are gleeful at the suffering of our would-be neighbors who we instead see as cartoon villain counterparts; it is easy to do when those counterparts are not seen as human. There is great danger in finding ourselves tossing other humans aside as if they are not precious human beings! It might feel righteous to write off a trans person for some or an evangelical Christian for others. But if that weapon can be pointed in a direction you like, it can certainly shift directions at any moment, including toward yourself. Beware.
Others of us are aghast at how people in power could rip away lives and livelihoods so quickly. In the case of USAID, these are conservative and liberal aid workers alike who are in deep suffering. How do we so flippantly write off entire groups of people in one category, when in another instance, we would claim them as our own? Something is concerningly fishy about this wishy washiness where convenient categories are friends and neighbors in one news cycle and enemies in the next. This feels like it is doing the bidding of someone other than a loving God.
May we be wary of anyone that would encourage us to villainize fellow citizens and neighbors. If someone writes off all conservatives or all liberals, I encourage you to take a pause. (I am preaching to myself here, too.) I understand that not everyone is eager to come to the dialogue table right now, though I encourage it anyway. But even if dialogue feels far fetched, if we find ourselves making people or even entire groups into cartoon villains, whether that be immigrants or people with lifestyles other than our own or government workers or people who live in cities or small towns, may we take a beat. May we remember what it is like to be misunderstood, tossed around, oversimplified, and imagine then having those unhelpful messages then spread all over the internet. May we even remember the way our Savior was tossed around, and to what end, and why and how he was put on that cross. Kyrie Eleison.
Why would we even proverbially crucify one another when it is ultimately keeping us from being who we wish to be, both individually and collectively?
Why would we abandon human dignity of all in our behavior in a bigger systematic fight to demand human dignity for all?
Is the dignity we are fighting for really for all, or for the people we like?
The reality is that people are complex. Keeping the door open to exhibiting kindness to one another is one of the things that keeps our integrity intact, and our commitment -per Christ’s command- to love our neighbors as ourselves- genuine. It even keeps the door open for being transformed in unexpected ways, as when love of neighbors of difference is mutual, we all grow in ways we could not have imagined before. We become stronger communities. We have more enriched support systems. We rely on each other to learn about each other far more than the talking heads telling us about each other. This is a vision I can get behind.
And this is one thing in our control – integrity and a commitment to kindness- that is extraordinarily powerful. Nobody can take it away from us unless we give it away. This is one thing that stands the test of time and can be a part of who we are individually and collectively, regardless of which principalities and powers are doing what at any time, as it keeps eternity in view.
May God help us be the community-centered, open-hearted, justice-seeking, thoroughly kind people we are fighting for the freedom to always be, not just by demanding it of our systems, but by acting like it among our neighbors now and always.
Amen.
