Be a Light

Take one look at our world right now and you will be hard pressed to miss the glaring division. Many are passionate about getting their point across. Many are just hungry for an argument. Many are ready to move on.

But what we may be missing altogether is the call to take a closer look at our own hearts. 

By this point, you’ve most likely already formed your opinions. You are sure of where you stand and you aren’t budging. But before taking one more step forward in any direction, the questions I think we all need to be sure that we’ve asked ourselves are these: Did I do the work to form my own opinion that aligns with my core values, or did I adopt the opinion of the people who are most like me? Have I done my own research and considered issues individually, or have I simply chosen the option that I feel will make me look the most like a particular group? Am I concerned with the condition of my heart and the words and actions that flow from it, or am I more concerned with appearing “American”, “Conservative/Liberal”, or “Democrat/Republican”? 

We all have groups that we are a part of, places where feel a sense of belonging. These are our families, friends, political affiliation, faith community – our “people”. We want to belong and we like to feel accepted rather than rejected by those people. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it becomes harmful when we let that fear of being rejected stand in the way of thinking for ourselves. When we are driven by a fear of being rejected by the group we identify most with, we are coerced into holding tightly to what we have always known and dismissing any viewpoint that we don’t like without ever engaging in a conversation. When we become so fearful of being labeled or associated with those who we have viewed as “the other side” that we neglect to even seek truth or ask the Lord to search our hearts, it is hurtful to everyone including ourselves.

One of the most damaging things we are doing right now is creating too few boxes to place people in.

We want only two sides, perhaps so that people will be easier to recognize. We hear someone’s viewpoint on one individual issue and immediately place that person in Box A. Then because they are now in Box A, we assume all sorts of other things about them based on that, when really all we know is their opinion on one individual issue. We learn of someone’s religion or where they are from, then we place them in that box over there. We seem to want to place people on an autofill form. Let them check the top box one way or the other and choices for all of the remaining boxes are made for them automatically. 

I will be completely transparent here; this fear is what threatened to keep me on the path of least resistance as I started to listen and process the issues that are dividing our country. The fear of being labeled, fear of being cast into a box with other people who I may not share the same beliefs with on all issues. If I were to say this, what else will that say about me? What other boxes are being checked for me in the eyes of others? I can’t help but wonder if this fear could be a barrier for others as well. None of us want to feel judged or to be ridiculed or labeled as something we aren’t. When our focus becomes labeling and ridiculing others, we are crushing instead of encouraging a person’s desire to seek truth about individual issues. We’ve got to stop only looking outward, pointing fingers, and crushing others with our words by sharing things that seek to ridicule and shame under the guise of being humorous.

If we truly want to move forward and live out the things that we say we believe, we need to get quiet and look inward instead.

In addition to fear, pride is also creating a barrier to progress. I think most will agree that it’s never an easy thing to admit, or even consider, that you may have been wrong about something. Listening to other perspectives can be uncomfortable because you’re opening the door to conviction and the call to turn and go in a different direction.

I want to go through life with a heart posture that seeks to understand the perspectives, experiences, challenges, and pain of others. I want to grow in compassion for others because it is what Jesus calls me to do. But this is a difficult path, because it is done only through humility. And humility is uncomfortable. My own life experiences, though certainly not all pleasant, are known and familiar. Sitting atop my mountain with what I know and what I have experienced is a much more comfortable place than climbing down into the ditches with someone else who has experienced life differently than I have. If I do indeed decide to traverse down the mountain, that requires me to leave my personal experiences up at the top. While I’m listening, I have to stop thinking from my own point of view in order to truly listen to the other person’s experience. I have to silence thoughts of doubt and criticism, and fight the urge to dismiss their feelings simply because they don’t match mine. Relying solely upon a handful of relationships we have had for years or seeking out someone who thinks exactly the same way we do but with a different skin color is not the answer. If we want to grow in compassion, we have to seek, listen, and build authentic relationships with others who have experienced life differently. 

As I began trying to untangle all of my emotions, I would look to social media to read what this person said and what that person said. I had reached the point of humbling myself and wanted to listen, but I was unsure of who I should be listening to. That’s when I realized that I did need to listen, but not for the purpose of taking on another person’s opinion as my own. That would be lazy and counterproductive. I needed to listen to others who have experienced life different from me so that I could be aware and grow in compassion. At the same time, I needed to be listening for discernment and guidance for my own heart from the Spirit of God.

I realized that I can do both.

I can listen and engage in conversations that challenge me and I can ultimately turn to God to search my heart, relying on Him to reveal what my response should be instead of trying to choose which person has articulated the “right” response. So the first step on the path that I chose was to confess this: I don’t know what to do yet, but I know that I want to do what is right in God’s eyes. My prayer became Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” I can listen and learn from others, and I can rely on the Lord to lead my response. Ed Stewart, a pastor at our church who we are also grateful to call our friend, said it best:

“But the key is to be culturally aware, but Spirit-led. You’ve got to have a balance, kids, of understanding the way the world is, the way you have to navigate the world because of who you are. But if that’s all you have, you will always be driven by the whims, and the desires, and the bents of other people. The thing that’s got to drive you is the Spirit of God.”

Ed Stewart

My hope is that we will all reconsider what it means to be a light in this world.

Before shouting and sharing with others, let’s pursue conviction and compassion in our own hearts. Instead of choosing the path that affirms us, let’s choose the path that challenges us. Let’s not continue to sit and talk about how sad and crazy the world is out there, but actually take a closer look at the part of the world that is the heart inside each of us. Let’s choose the path of courage and humility that points us to the truth about what it is we believe, why we believe it, and what it looks like to live out those beliefs. Let’s give the love we so often speak of a chance to shine.