What now?
A few weeks ago a large number of gays at
a nightclub were killed. The nation felt sorrow and sadness. Many went to
church and prayed. Last week five police
officers were assassinated in Dallas. The nation felt profound sorrow and
sadness. Many went to church and prayed.
It seems as a vicious cycle . . . watch,
pray, repeat.
Eventually though we stop, for something
else has gotten our attention. Life intrudes. This is part of humanity. We are
a temporal people, who rarely find permanence. So we race to the nearest shiny
object, yet upon seeing another, move on.
Across the nation passion still ignites.
People protest and move into opposing camps, with each side claiming that they
have the moral imperative, implying that God is on their side.
Everyone seems to want things to change.
Some urge us, as a nation to move forward with acts of civil disobedience like
shutting down roads, or picketing in front of the police headquarters. Others
however simply want a return to peace and stability.
This is not new. This nation has gone
through such strife before and will in the future. But the issue remains,
should we become activists and work on changing the world, or resign ourselves
to the fact that despite what we do—or say—little changes?
I am reminded of the Old Testament
passage “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. In the end, everything we do
remains inchoate. Looking at the long view of history, we see strife and
resolve, peace and war, openness towards strangers and xenophobic retreat.
Perhaps this is why some people become pessimistic and depressed, for they
realize that human agency is very fleeting.
So,
what do we do?
We need to remember that our purpose is
to live and love. God is the one doing all the work. Yes, we can strive to make
the world better—and should. But like a house built on sand, it will soon be
washed away, for it is not our doing.
God does not really need us. God can find
someone else, or some other way. That is
what the divine does.
Yet this is not a "cop out". We
have our job, for it is not what we do, but how we live—full of thankfulness,
joy, and humility. Our lives are mostly mundane. We work. We eat. We sleep. But
we also, befriend, help and support.
God does not need us—but God does want
us. It is like a little kid who hands his father the tools while dad fixes the
car. Dad could do it himself, but he wanted his child to assist and to learn.
Peace.
