The morning after.
I am still a bit in shock after seeing the events of Wednesday unfold before my eyes. This is not a political column so I will not try to deal with the politics of the situation. I would like to offer a couple of observations which were mentioned by several analysts.
One statement is violence has become normalized. What once was considered unwise, or off limits has become normal. This did not happen overnight. Continuous exposure via movies, television, videogames and news reports has desensitized us to the harmful effects of visual stimulation.
The value of human life has been diminished with the advent of the killing of innocent babies and euthanasia. While this in no way justifies what happened in Washington, D.C., there does appear to be a bit of a double standard.
Day after day of violence in the streets of Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, destroying property, lives and the jobs of many people did not bring much of an outrage in certain circles. I realize there is a great gap between destroying a business and insurrection of the country.
One thing which particularly disturbed me was the use of Jesus name on several banners and flags. There is no way Jesus would have blessed what went on in the capital yesterday. They were trying to justify what went on in the name of the Prince of Peace.
The second statement mentioned several times was there is something wrong with the heart of America. That is hardly new news. The prophet Jeremiah said the “heart of man is desperately wicked, who could know it.”(17:9)
This does not mean we all are desperately and equally wicked. It does mean that we are all fallen creatures capable of grievous sins, given the right circumstances.
In the 19th century, a well-known pastor, Thomas Chalmers wrote a sermon which has become a classic. It was entitled, “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” He, himself, had experienced such a new affection. As a young minister, he believed that his duties could be carried out in a couple of days and he could do as he wished in the succeeding days.
He underwent a radical conversion and developed a passion for missions, home visitation, and ministry to the poor. His new love for Christ had expelled his self-seeking search for pleasure. We need to expel certain attitudes and expectations from our hearts. This can only happen as the Holy Spirit does a new work in our hearts that will expel the ugliness that Satan has convinced us as normal.
In this day with all its rage and push for power, there needs to be changes in our hearts. A lot of things need to be expelled or rooted out. The apostle Paul urged the new Christians in Colosse to “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language.” (3:8)
It starts with humility. Pride is the root cause of much of our rebellion against God. I, we, need to reflect on our own hearts and attitudes. Words have power. If you only hear one side, it is not likely you will have complete understanding.
If you only read books which agree with your position, you may have only deepened your false assumptions. A prayer might be: “Lord, show me my sin, give me the wisdom that comes from above. Show me how to love my brother. May the grace that you have shown to me radiate out through me, to those around me.
To comment, email jhm82@outlook or call (580) 772-2311.