Okay. You can probably guess why I’m here.
It seems that, pretty recently, our world is in shambles. We’re completely overrun by darkness; so much so that I can’t lay by a pool with my friends or eat an entire pizza while binge watching Gilmore Girls without feeling guilty for not being terrified. How dare I jam out to the the new Ariana Grande album when the Great Country in which I live is so filled with despair?
I’ll preface the rest of this by saying I do not know any of the people directly affected by these recent tragedies. I do not know them, and I shudder to even begin to imagine what they’re feeling. (I tried to put myself in their shoes early this week, and I started shaking with the heartwrenching pain and confusion.) It’s really not even any of my business. I didn’t want to write about this or share my thoughts on this so widely, but I CANNOT get this matter off my mind. I may actually burst or or talk my family’s ear off if I don’t get this down.
My heart aches for Christina Grimmie; she was just following her dream and meeting the people who helped her get so close. I’m angry at the Orlando shooting, and I don’t understand why they should die or be traumatized when they were only looking for some funky jams in a safe place. I am sickened by what the girl in Stanford is going through, and the injustice she faces when she was just out with her sister. These families have been saturating my prayers, though I wouldn’t know them otherwise.
I’ve noticed that everyone has a cure to the world’s problems. I won’t cause controversy by naming the solutions or elaborating on them, but I will say that this place is getting really dark really quickly. We cry out for justice. We lament and beg for peace and love. We yearn for equality without considering how forcefully we are pushing away The Source of all the solutions we ultimately hope to find.
If we sit and make a list of the traits that we would want “The World’s Greatest Country” to have, what would they be?
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentility. Self-Control. Absolutely. Everything that I’ve seen posted, shared or liked has referenced one of those. It’s the core of How to Care for Humans; they’re the Fruits of the Spirit, funny enough. I am the greatest offender sometimes. BUT these are the things we are called to do and be. We are called to be these things for our own good, but we have let our greed and selfish ways dictate whether or not we incorporate those things in our lives. (Tell me I’m not alone).
We are not in need of a shady leader. We are not in need of restricting laws. We are not in need of a Ricky Bobby attitude (“If you’re not first, you’re last”). We are not in need of more darkness. No, we are in need of some Fruit. (lol. everyone wants to be healthy, right?). We need to return to the fruits that we have let rot and bruise. We need to find renewal.
We don’t need to lose hope in humanity, but we may need to look for it somewhere else. After all, Who can find anything in the dark? Keep me where The Light is, thanks, and I’ll find my hope there. and my love. and my joy. and my peace. and my patience. and my kindness and goodness. and my faithfulness, gentility and self-control.