For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 7:1 

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

Be the one

One small step…… Can begin a lifelong journey,
One single point……can win the game.
One encouraging word……can make someone smile,
One smile……make someone glad they came.

One single note……brings back a song long forgotten,
One old picture…… recalls a much different life.
One tiny flower……can bring a world of beauty,
One helping hand……makes a burden light.

One warm hug……can make most things better,
One sweet kiss……can make a young man brave.
One selfless act……can inspire many others,
One true friend……makes the whole world feel safe.

You can’t save the world on your own
Everyone must do their part.
Alone the task would be overwhelming,  
But you can be the one to start.
Linda Troxell ©11/23/202

Do it Anyway

We are at the dawn of a new year and as my mind wanders through the past 5 or 6 years, I don’t like what I see. The created divisiveness in our country has cut loose any restraint we had about expressing meanness, cruelty, and violence. This has caused an increase in fear and anxiety among Americans. It seems to me that the entire ethos of our country has grown progressively more contentious, more divisive, and more hopeless since June 16, 2015. 

As we enter this new year, I wonder how many of you have feelings similar to mine? After all of the darkness and hate, we’ve been through recently, when checking in with my thoughts and feelings they amounted to this,  “Get ready for more of the same.” 

Wow! You can bet I was not prepared for that.  When I caught myself in that thought, I was appalled. Yes, because the thought is so negative. But even more so because I had no idea I’d become so jaded Or when. 

Many of us are expecting nothing more or less in this year than we’ve seen in the preceding 6 years. When we expect nothing different, we do nothing differently. When we do nothing differently, we will see nothing change. When there is no change we feel hopeless and helpless about making a change, and we expect no change. 

As you can see this all becomes a feedback loop of hopelessness and helplessness to reinforce our expectation that nothing will ever be different. That has to be the first thing we change. I won’t be the person who gives up and just accepts the status quo, no matter how soul-destroying it might be, telling myself that’s “Just life.” 

I won’t be that person because that isn’t what I believe. I believe this ugliness, this hatred, this fear, and anxiety gripping our country and dividing us was created deliberately. Why? Because, as history tells us, authoritarian governments are accepted, sometimes even sought out, during times of fearful social conditions. And fearful social conditions can be created. 

Fear is easily created by simply exaggerating the differences and tension always present in any diverse society. This makes them seem bigger and more threatening than they actually are. And hatred is stirred up by pointing fingers of blame toward those already most marginalized in that society.

We all know who they are, they look different, speak differently and their customs are different from those who are pointing the fingers. Those who are offering them up as the boogeyman responsible for all the country’s fear. 

As Christians, we understand we can’t allow fear to paralyze us because it tells us so in scripture. For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 7:1 However, it is the way of the world to feel helpless in the face of fear. And it is the way of the world to need someone to blame as well as someone to save them from whatever they fear. 

Every time and any place there have been gains in an authoritarian government, those gains came as a result of fear. Fear abetted by far right-leaning movements that emphasize national sovereignty, hostility to immigration, and rejection of constitutional checks on the will of the majority. The only other way authoritarian governments can gain power is by a military coup.

I know some of you reading this will say that we, as Christians, are not to be part of the politics of the world. And while I don’t believe that to be entirely true, it doesn’t matter for this topic. Because the method for changing this atmosphere of fear that I offer is hardly political. But it is in keeping with what Jesus has told us to do.  

After having a front-row view of what’s been happening in our country and around the world, I have, like most others, been tempted to shrug my shoulders and give up. I ask myself what I could do to push back against those in power. I’ve been tempted to use the laziest excuse of all, “If God wanted it to be different it would be.” Pathetic, right? 

But I didn’t give up and now I’m going to tell you about something we can do to be obedient to God and at the same time help to hold off those who want to come to power through hate. 

This is something we can each do individually to turn it around. Once we start it will be like dominos, first, one person will act. Then that will inspire another one to act and then another and on and on until it’s all of us. 

I said the one thing an authoritarian movement needs to succeed is fear. I think no one would argue, we have plenty of fear in our country right now. But how can we eliminate fear? That sounds like a monumental task. But I’m telling you we can do it with very little effort just by exchanging a few simple habits we already have for other simple habits we can easily embrace. 

Don’t worry, it will demand very little of your time and energy. All we have to do is make simple changes and EXPECT them to bring about a great difference. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Mark 11:23

When our world is fear-laden we tend to pull into ourselves. Like turtles, we try to prevent being attacked by allowing very little of ourselves to be visible. However, we can’t actually pull our body parts into a shell as turtles do. So, instead, we opt for the universal sign for “leave me alone”, we keep our head and our eyes down. We show no one our face and we don’t see the face of others.   

We tend to be a solitary society anyway. We tend to limit our personal involvement to those very close to us. We love our privacy nothing wrong with that. But when an already closed society becomes fearful, we barely acknowledge one another and we begin to lose our ability to empathize with those around us. Without empathy, there can be no real love.  

As Christians, that goes against the first and most important commandment of our Lord. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Matthew 22:37  And it separates us more than it is safe for us to be separate.  But we don’t have to give up any privacy to connect to others. We only need to change a few fear-driven habits. 

This year, instead of walking with our heads down avoiding eye contact with those who we encounter each day, let’s make a vow to really see those people. Let’s look at the cashier’s face at the market. Let’s look into the eyes of the waitperson who serves our coffee. And let’s ask them about their day. And above all, let’s smile at others, as many others as we can each day.

We just need to make a vow to really acknowledge everyone we see as fellow human beings. We simply need to truly understand that everyone we come across in our day was made in the image of God. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 

Would we turn away from or avoid the image of God? Of course not. So why do we avoid the bearers of His image?

It requires only a simple hello, good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. But it will only work if we look at them as we say it. With that simple interaction, we will make a connection with a fellow human. Whether or not we know it or believe it, we were created to be one big tribe, connected through our relationship with God. Making a connection with another member of the tribe, no matter how small, will make both of us feel good. 

Maybe so much so that we will both do it again. In this way slowly millions of us will make small connections with those around us. And the only change needed is to look up instead of looking down and to smile more often. As we feel a part of something, we are less fearful and more loving. 

You might ask, “But what if we don’t feel like doing it?” So what, do it anyway.

As part of loving our neighbors as ourselves this year, let’s practice grace and mercy with those in our little part of the world. This will take only a small change too. This year when someone treats us with less kindness, understanding, or respect than we expect or deserve, let’s give them grace and tell ourselves it wasn’t deliberate and it wasn’t personal, then let it go. 

We can simply give others the benefit of the doubt, and stop taking things so personally. Not only will we be obeying God, to love our neighbor, but we will prevent the toxins of resentment from polluting our hearts.

Likewise, when we think someone has insulted us, instead of immediately choosing to be angry, let’s slow down and choose to believe that if they did so, it wasn’t intentional. Let’s make ourselves remember the times that we’ve done something similar and felt terrible or would have, had we known. 

We can either let it go or gently and lovingly ask the person if what they said was meant as an insult. If it was, we can gracefully, with charity, discuss why they felt the need to insult us.

If we don’t either let go or resolve our anger, we will find ourselves thinking about how to get even. Whenever we begin to entertain plans for revenge, we must remember to whom vengeance and judgment belong. 

But what if we don’t feel like letting it go, what if we don’t feel like giving one more person mercy and grace? So what, do it anyway.

Now let me tell you about just one more habit we can change that will make an amazing difference in our quality of life and, by association, the lives of those around us.

Then you can begin on your own to think about ways in which you can change little habits that will make a big difference in your part of our world. 

This year let’s prepare for being stuck in traffic on the freeway. We know it will happen! So, let’s not be stuck with nothing but frustration and anger to keep us busy. Instead, let’s be prepared. How does one prepare for sitting in traffic? Well, here are some ideas.

Make a playlist using your very favorite songs. You know the songs, the ones that when they are playing on the radio as you pull into your driveway, you can’t get out of the car until they are over? And let’s have snacks and water in the car. Nothing makes impatience tip into immorality as quickly as hunger.

Armed with that playlist, we will be almost happy we’re stuck in traffic. Add the snacks and our health will benefit because our blood sugar will not drop and our blood pressure will remain normal. And we won’t risk being shot when we start yelling all those words we’ve promised God we would no longer say. 

Or, if like me, you enjoy recorded books have one always at hand that you can listen to when you are stuck on the freeway for hours. Or, if we do get caught with nothing planned, instead of becoming frustrated and enraged, let’s use the time to pray. 

We can tell God all of those things we haven’t had time to tell Him in the routine prayers. And we can ask Him to protect us from becoming the crazy screaming person we are in danger of becoming because we didn’t prepare for being caught in traffic. 

But what if you resent having to be prepared for something that wouldn’t even exist if someone competent was in charge?  You ask, “What if I would rather rant and rave than be prepared?”

So what, get prepared anyway. It will help to prevent the resentment that will poison your heart.

If you don’t live in or near a big city this last one isn’t exactly written for you. But you can alter it to fit your life. Just replace being stuck in traffic with waiting for a plane sitting in a waiting room, or something else that tries your patience beyond endurance.

So often, we wait to do something until we feel like doing it. We are waiting for the motivation to make a change. Well, I have news for you we’ve got the process backward. Motivation doesn’t drive actions, actions drive motivation.

We have to begin to smile at everyone, begin to say good morning, or whatever the thing is we want to do, we have to begin doing it and then the motivation will follow. But we have to first, BEGIN But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Matthew 6:33

Let’s make ourselves do those small and simple things we all know can make a big difference. Let’s have “Do it anyway” be our motto, our mantra, and our battle cry for 2022.

Will it save the world if we make a habit of these small gestures? Well, it just might. If we make a habit of these and other positive gestures, it will change, our lives and perhaps by extension the lives of those around us.

For when our lives are more pleasurable and when we feel good, we treat others better. When others are treated well, they feel good and they treat others more kindly. You get it, these small behaviors, many of them common civility and common sense, can change the world one person at a time.  

These are not ancient mysteries and secrets I’m sharing with you. You have all heard them before; many of them are only common courtesy or common sense. I think, however, using them and many like them at this time in history may be urgent. 

Because, If we don’t find a way to dispel the fear that creates the hatred that demands divisiveness, I believe these things could be announcing the death of our democracy. If you think I’m overstating, study history, I’m not!

And if you think we as Christians should not be concerned with our manner of governance, remember, it is democracy that allows us to worship our God freely without fear. And never forget that it is the freedom that comes with democracy that allows us to freely and safely bring others to Christ, as we are commanded to.  

 

 

Let’s Pray
Father, we thank you for Your love and grace that brought us through the year just past. So many of your children, our loved ones, didn’t live to see the new year. We are sad for ourselves because we miss them, Father, but we know they are healed and living in the warmth of your glory. Lord, we are all weary of the fear and hate that has gripped our country and even the world. And while we recognize we are more fortunate than most, as we live in a country that allows us freedoms many don’t have, we want to stop the hatred, the fear, and the vitriol that dominates the hearts of our people. We need renewal, Lord, so, we submit our hearts and minds to you, Lord. And we ask you to begin the renewal with us. We ask that you, with the power of your love, give us hearts of flesh to replace our hearts that have become stone. Lead us to see your image when we look into the faces of our brothers and sister; all of them, Lord, not only those who please us. And Lord, please help us to implement the few easy changes above as our first steps on the path toward living the life you ask of us. Thank you, Father, we pray this in the holy name of Jesus, Amen!

 

 

Points for Pondering or Prayer
OR
Perhaps for Putting Pen to Paper

Have you experienced the fear and division I talk about in this post?

If you have experienced it, write a bit about how it has affected your life.

Do you believe small changes such as the ones I talk about here, can change the world, (slowly, of course)?  

Write a bit about why you do or why you do not believe it.

Can you see yourself making the changes I laid out here?

If you can, write a paragraph about which one you think would be most difficult for you, and why?

If you can’t see yourself making any of the changes I talk about, write a paragraph about why not. And if there are some you can imagine doing, write a bit about them.

Regardless of political views have you noticed a trend toward a more authoritarian government in our country?

If you have, write a paragraph about how you feel about it.