I don’t know about you, but I feel like I am struggling to keep solid footing right now. We Americans have moved well passed the collective boiling point, haven’t we? Our ugliness as a flawed culture has been ripped open and laid bare, glaring like putrid vomit buzzing with flies in the blistering summer sun. And rightfully so. Yet, in the middle of our stark nakedness, I can’t help but ask a question. Are we standing on solid ground? In other words, are we thoughtfully examining our own hearts before we join the public rhetoric?
The empire is burning.
No doubt there is a deafening cacophony of social and political upheaval to knock us all off our feet. The constant media bombardment is disorienting to say the least. We’ve got photo ops and sound bites from our elected officials as well as their political rivals. Are we standing on solid ground as a government? Let’s not forget that it’s a US Presidential election year. The stakes are especially high for both sides of the aisle. It would seem that calling a truce from destroying each other long enough to present a unified front to our hurting country isn’t on anyone’s agenda – Left or Right. Never have I personally felt less enthusiasm for ANY of our politicians. Sorry. (Not really sorry.)
So, Washington D.C. isn’t going to save us. What about our national idols? Are we standing on solid ground with whomever we trust to socially guide us from that sector? Our Hollywood elite make tearful statements from their estates. Yet, I don’t remember those same famous folks openly protesting the historically inequitable treatment of people of color in film and television when the headlines were quieter. Never have I personally had less interest in what late night talk show hosts have to say. Sorry. (Not really sorry.)
It’s also burning closer to home.
But let’s move a little closer to home, shall we? Let’s leave the national stage and bring our focus to our own cities. Images of local peaceful protestors are in sharp contrast to video footage of rioters destroying and looting familiar regional stores. Truthful anecdotes decrying police officers as brutal villains smack right up against equally truthful stories of police officers tearfully embracing protestors. I have seen photos of regional neighbors breaking car windows and photos of area neighbors cleaning up the debris. We suffer mental and emotional whiplash trying to sort through it all.
Now let’s narrow our focus even more into our own individual homes. Our personal social media feeds explode from our phone screens in an online parade of passionate opinions. We scroll through the chaos of shared articles (please check your sources and publication dates, friends), video clips and other poignant graphics like hungry witnesses at a horrific accident scene. We enthusiastically “like” or “share” the posts with which we agree, and we spitefully comment on the ones we don’t. Perhaps even more damaging to any hope of open conversation, we ceremoniously “unfriend” our offenders, further deepening our own echo chambers.
The miry depths and the deep waters.
Can you see why our footing is shaky? Between the national, local and individual input we digest every day, we can easily get sucked into the pit. Lose our footing. Drown beneath the crashing stormy waves. It is not difficult to understand our slippery descent.
Our enemy is having a field day.
While our collective enemy uses all of these moments to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), God has the authority and the power to use these moments to better us as individuals and rebuild us as a nation. IF WE HAVE FIRM FOOTING, ROOTED IN HIS SPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS, LOVE AND SELF-CONTROL (Galatians 5:22-23). We cannot intellectually propel ourselves out of our pit with statistics or science. And I personally am a big fan of z-scores and hypotheses! We cannot vote ourselves out of our pit come election day in November. Likewise, we cannot forcefully talk ourselves out with strong rhetoric and speeches. We can’t buy our way out with Wall Street. Similarly, we cannot float ourselves out with enough good thoughts and positive vibes.
And stuck in the bottom of that pit is exactly where our enemy gleefully wants us. Because inside our isolated pits we are separated, off balance and blind to the horizon. Our collective enemy will do whatever he can to keep us down there. He will deny earthly justice. He will yank discord to the surface and bury harmony beneath 6ft of angry shouting. And he will ALWAYS try to sabotage reconciliation, because his job is to move us as far away from our Creator as he can. Our enemy doesn’t want us to reconcile with each other, and he DEFINITELY doesn’t want us to believe that we could ever be reconciled with God.
Using a mirror to get out of our pit.
I admittedly don’t know much about Dr. Lee Roberson (20th century American pastor and author), but I like his words. “Revival begins in the individual’s heart. Let it begin with you on your face alone before God. Turn from every sin that might hinder…”.
What if lasting systemic change and revival in our country starts with a mirror? What if THAT is the springboard for God lifting us out of our pit? In other words, what if we each asked God to search and test our hearts and then set us on solid ground? One translation of Psalm 139:23-24 puts it this way:
“Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about;
See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.” (MSG)
We need real traction.
What little I know about the science of physics suggests that we cannot move forward without traction. And there is certainly poor traction on the unstable ground at the bottom of our muddy pits. We need solid footing to realize genuine momentum. So, ask God to hold up the mirror and show you where your OWN outages may fall. And once He has lifted you out of that slimy pit and placed your feet firmly underneath you, THEN move forward steadied by His hand. That’s when lasting transformation and true freedom will come to our land.
Are we standing on solid ground? Let’s humble ourselves and get some real traction, friends. And let’s spread the Kingdom. One mirror at a time.
