I don’t have to tell you that our country (the world) is broken. You already know that. You already know that it is sinful, hurting, angry, scared, defensive. Racism, hate, violence, pride, ignorance, blame, fear. It’s on the news while we’re eating breakfast, it’s on Twitter during our lunch break, it’s a topic of conversation at dinner.

When I heard about the Dallas shooting, I admit I felt afraid, and a little pessimistic (the more spiritual word might be discouraged). I felt a wall of begin going up around me, my loved ones, my little bubble. I searched the Bible to ease my growing fear.

Then I had a conversation with my husband. I daily thank God for the wisdom and insight in my husband; hallelujah that he sees life and thinks differently than I do, that we are not exactly the same. Because let me tell you, God uses J’s loving insight to right my doubts and fears quite often.

He said, and I’m paraphrasing,

I cannot believe that it’s somehow worse now than it was 50, 100, 150, 500 years ago. It might look a little different, but the human race has always been sinful. Nowadays, we just have media outlets in everybody’s faces where news is continually exploding. This world is broken. The Bible says that in this life we will have trouble. (John 16:33) What we can do is share the Gospel, love humanity the best we can, be obedient to the call of God in the Bible, and love Him with all our hearts and minds and souls.

His words and perspective comforted me. I don’t want it to come across like he doesn’t care for the tragedies that happen seemingly every other day, he absolutely positively does. We both grieve for lives lost, for families that are almost daily losing loved ones over violence and strife and disagreement.

But, even in that, if I walk around carrying the weight of this world, I will crumble. I won’t be able to walk. And I think J’s perspective is sorrowful, yet eternity-minded. He challenged me, and us as a family, to share the Gospel, to pray desperate prayers for God to save, to love as deeply as we possibly can.

This is where our energy should go. Not into fighting or arguing or even living depressed and discouraged. Not living defensively or closed off, not judging or categorizing people.

Our purpose is to share Jesus, to live with Him as our life, glory, hope, and identity. To walk as Jesus walked.

We can’t dismiss someone’s feelings. We won’t pretend it isn’t horrible and sad. We’ll hurt and cry along with humanity. We’ll do our best to be compassionate, to supply a need, to support a friend or group.

In this tension, we (J and I; I don’t want to be bossy.) have to look to Jesus. We need to remember why He came, to seek and save the lost. Our world is lost. It is full of people who have never known such a Love, such a Life. People who hear and know but do not believe. Hurting people who don’t know that Jesus died specifically for them.

This Jesus is not only for the good days, for the happy seasons of life. He is for every single moment.

This Jesus is pure love, strength, and power… enough to handle the messiest and darkest of moments. This isn’t passive language or fields of daisies. This is strong love and compassion, this is steadfast hope and joy, this is powerful truth.

I want anyone and everyone to know Jesus, our Lifeline.

This world doesn’t need for me to be another defensive, discouraged, negative, proud, ignorant, fearful, passive individual… as much as I am inclined sometimes to be just that. And even in struggling against my flesh, I’ll try to keep my wrestling self pointed in God’s direction.

The world needs me (and all Christians) to continually and graciously point it to Jesus, to the Gospel, to a life far greater than this one. Purpose for these days. 

I think one of the reasons we haven’t embraced kind of being a people with compassion and grace that push back the darkness is because we have lost sight of the bigger picture here. We’ve lost sight of the bigger picture, and that is the barista who gets you coffee, the waiter who brings your meal and takes your order, the neighbor who lives beside you, the friend you work with… all are not mere mortals. God has placed you there to be a herald of the good news. Matt Chandler

Signed,

girl trying to make sense of recent days