On weekends I make a point to disconnect from the news cycle a bit, and going into this weekend I felt especially overwhelmed by the issues of the world after absorbing roughly 4 total hours of soundbites (noise, rather) from the Democratic primary debates. However, the weekend’s news of more mass shootings in the country couldn’t, nor shouldn’t, be tuned out.
We can’t hide from the fact that there is a permeating disease of hatred and of apathy toward our fellow humans, or from the fact that our “rights” and our politics have become our own accepted brand of idolatry. The devaluing and stealing of lives shouldn’t merely cause shaking heads or finger pointing. As people, and especially as Christians, this should result in mourning, in lament, and in anger. We should be crying out to God, desperately challenging him with all the questions and charges we have: Why God? How long, oh Lord? How can you allow this evil to win? I thought you were bigger than this, I thought you said you loved us!
WHERE ARE YOU???
We try to “make sense” of tragedies… I’m not sure if that’s a human response at its core, or if it’s more of a cultural one. That’s a post for a day I feel like doing some sociological research (hint: today is not one of those days). I, too, feel this need deep within my brain, as if logic could aid me in my journey toward peace and comfort when everything in the world feels wrong. Perhaps if we know why an atrocity occurred, then we can boil down the data and determine patterns that will lead us to stopping the next tragedy. That’s a noble cause. However, I fear that when we come to our own conclusions too quickly, it can be used to build a defense strategy, and an unhelpful one at that. They’re already happening, so insensitively soon after these recent terrorist acts that we skip past the lament and the anger we so badly need to express, especially to God. I unfortunately notice that many Christians also skip this crucial processing step, most likely to be available to go to God’s defense against his “challengers” on Twitter or in the comments sections.
Let me say what I’ve had to learn on the latter end of my 25 years of being a Christian: God does not need our defending. He has NOT called us to be his PR team in the wake of a national emergency, coming up with a clever way to spin his “responsibility” (or lack of action), or correct the nay-sayers who “endanger” his reputation. This is NOT the time to ignore people’s pain and counter with a “Don’t worry, God’s in control.” Moreover, this is NOT the time to cling more tightly to our guns, yelling “MINE!” And this is NOT the time to point fingers at the parts of culture that seem unsavory, like video games. This is all merely a distraction from our pain. We’ve been in so much pain. And right now I’m not even talking about the personal pain, but since I’m bringing it up, the truth is that we’re a people with compounded pain that is societal, personal, historical. Christian or not Christian, this is a universal experience.
We must speak truth into the world, yes. We must be agents of God’s comfort and peace in the midst of the brokenness. And we must take action and fight against the horrific effect sin has on this world. However, we must, must, must respond to this pain and loss by grieving. This is the time to mourn and weep. Unless the hurt and the depth of it is acknowledged, how can we possibly be motivated to do something about it? Calls to action, and especially calls to defense, are hollow unless we acknowledge that we, too, have lost something as a result of a needless act of violence and hatred. Humanity as a whole has (or should have) a massive identity crisis when we take each other’s lives, enslave each other, abuse each other, intentionally and carelessly inflict pain on each other. Humans were made in the image of God–how can we, as God’s image bearers, not wail and weep when we treat each other as anything less than a fellow child of God himself? We must acknowledge the pain in our hearts and the groaning of the earth and everything within it; only out of this can we be effective in comforting and protecting others, and fighting against all forms of evil and destruction.
Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Psalm 44:23-26