Lessons from 2020: I am reading my journal from last year. It turns out 2020 is just as odd the second time through. But that isn’t the big take-away. What jumps off the page is how often I’m stressed by things that do not matter. Or, to put the best spin on it possible, it turns out that I spend too much time on Monday concerned about things that will be forgotten by Tuesday. Consider the lilies of the field…
Better and Worse: Last week’s Capitol melee has been described as unthinkable, tragic, horrific and absurd. It was surely that and worse. I am still processing so I will limit my comments. But it seems important to note two things. First, this was not “the worst thing that has happened,” “the beginning of the end,” or anything close. Only those who have never read a history book would make such a statement. Second, those who wrote, “This is not America” are wrong. It is. The people are divided, entrenched, angry and not very self-aware. More to the point, this is you and me. We are broken, sinful and desperately in need of a Savior.
Better Titles Later: The tough moments in life are often renamed – that is, what is initially thought a “horrible season,” becomes a “time of real growth.” I am not suggesting you will later say that “the worst day of your life” was actually “the best.” But I’ve heard, “getting let go from that job was a blessing in disguise,” several dozen times. And three different times I’ve heard people say, “I would not trade getting cancer for anything. It has been such a gift.” As an aside, sixty-one percent of the American servicemen who were held in the “Hanoi Hilton” now label their stay as “beneficial.”
The Last Battle: It may be time to reread the last book in Lewis’s Chronicles series. In Narnia, the end of the world is set in motion with a con, some cascading lies and a bit of “fake news.” Chaos ensues, the land is overrun by Calormene soldiers and everyone starts turning on everyone else.
The Irony: I’m not sure if you have noticed, but the media carried two kinds of stories during the first two weeks of 2021. The first discussed the seemingly intractable problems related to racial tension, COVID spikes, vaccine delays, societal polarization, cascading debt, etc. The second were puff pieces claiming you overcome anything if you: “seize the day,” “adopt a winning attitude,” “embrace grit,” and “leverage your resolutions.” #whiplash
Speaking of 2021: One of the things I appreciated about 2020 were the memes. 2021 is off to a decent start. On a very different note, this is an old song – and the musicians singing it channel an 80s religious vibe – but I found some energy in this arrangement about the Church triumphant.
Without Comment: 1) So many Muslims report seeing a vision of Jesus in a white robe – telling them that He loves them, died for them, and wants them to follow Him – that Christian groups in Egypt have taken out newspaper ads saying, “If you have seen a man in a white robe in your dreams, He has a message for you. Call this number.” 2) Fatherless children are five times more likely to live in poverty, nine times more likely to drop out of school and twenty times more likely to go to prison.
Two Great Weekend Reads: If you are looking for a break from today’s political news and commentary, why not glean some wisdom from two classics. The first is George Washington’s Farewell Address, which was the single most read document between 1790 and the Civil War. The second is Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, which I recommend every year.
Closing Prayer: Lord, we pray this day mindful of the sorry confusion of our world. Look with mercy upon this generation of your children so steeped in misery of their own contriving, so far strayed from your ways and so blinded by passions. We pray for the victims of tyranny, that they may resist oppression with courage. We pray for wicked and cruel men, whose arrogance reveals to us what the sin of our own hearts is like when it has conceived and brought forth its final fruit. We pray for ourselves who live in peace and quietness, that we may not regard our good fortune as proof of our virtue, or rest content to have our ease at the price of others’ sorrow and tribulation. We pray for all who have some vision of your will, despite the confusions and betrayals of human sin, that they may humbly and resolutely plan for and fashion the foundations of a just peace, even while they seek to preserve what is fair and just among us against the threat of malignant powers. Amen. (Reinhold Niebuhr – 1892 – 1971)