With Everything Going On…

I have been hesitant to talk about this. I have been hesitant to post anything about it. With everything going on, there is so much to process and as a Christian, I have been struggling with what I am called to do and who I am called to be during this time. With current events and our culture, if you remain silent, you’re a racist. But if you speak out and you don’t convey your message perfectly, you’re also a racist. You better look over everything you post and everything you share because you mess up even a little bit and you have the world against you. Where is the grace? Where is forgiveness? I forget. That’s a thing that God freely gives. It’s unnatural for people. I should know. I have a hard time forgiving others.

The murder of George Floyd absolutely broke my heart. My heart cries when there is injustice. I see these things and I ask, “My God, my God, why?” Despite your political views, I think we all saw the injustice on May 25, 2020. I think everyone’s hearts broke seeing that video. How could it not? That was God’s people murdering God’s people. How could you not cry over that?

So where have I been? Why haven’t I said anything? It is because I’m a racist? No. I have been silent because I am processing and trying to educate myself before I post a black square on Instagram. I have been silent because I need time to fully absorb everything that is going on. And as I move on, I want to know what needs to be done on my behalf. I’ve spent days and weeks contemplating current events. I’ve cried hard about it. My social media friends, I promise you I care. I promise you that I’m hurting. You think I can write this blog post without tears? I can’t. I’ve stayed silent but that does not mean my heart is not hurting.

I’ve prayed about it. I still don’t have a perfect game plan. It makes me question who I am called to be and what I am called to do as a Christian. There is still so much to process and can I be honest? I truly have not allowed myself to process this because I have school. I feel guilty that I am allowing my grades to be more important than everything going on, but that’s the reality of it, friend. I’m a Christian. I love Jesus, but I will never be an accurate representation of Him. I will try harder. I’m sorry. But on a lighter note, because I’m basically finished with school, I am finally catching up on all those Netflix documentaries people have sent me. I am finally reading the articles regarding police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. I know I didn’t put the work in during the school year but I am putting in the work now. Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to stay educated. This is an important message.

This still begs the question, who are we called to be as Christians and what are we called to do with everything going on? From the murder of George Floyd to the “Black Lives Matter” movement to defunding the police, who are we to be? I will humbly share my thoughts on everything and how we should respond as Christ-followers, but I say this without knowing all the answers.

I do think the most important thing is to take action. Christian, maybe you can relate in your own life to how I’ve dealt with things in the past? I think it’s easy to just give God everything so you can continue on with your life. You pray a heartfelt prayer and then selfishly continue on, mumbling to yourself “God’s got it” and pretending that there’s nothing else you can do. I’ve done that. It’s wrong. Yes, we are to pray about everything and cast our anxieties to God, but that doesn’t give us an excuse to be lazy. My “brand” on Instagram is about sharing the Gospel and encouraging people to read the Bible. And that’s great, but I also have to remember telling people to just love one another is not enough. Share your faith but also act on your faith. Where is your heart? We’re called to evaluate it. Everything we do must be for the glory of God. Is it loving to only love those who agree with your political party? Is it loving to not pray over your president because you don’t like or agree with him? Is it loving to “cancel” people because of a mistake they made as a teenager? Where is the love? Where is the grace?

Look at the life of Jesus. He stood up for injustice. Look at the life of Paul. Paul didn’t just sit around and do nothing. He talked about the word of God and to even expand on that he told others how to live a life following Jesus. Look at Ephesians 4 or Romans 12; those are two examples of what it means to live as a Christian. Read any of the Gospels, see how Jesus lived. That is who we’re called to be and how we’re called to act. I say with humility that it’s great that I’m sharing the Gospel on Instagram but if I’m still ignoring current events and not acting in the way that I ought to as a Christian, I’m no better than the murderer of George Floyd. I am no better if I am just sitting around and letting injustice happen while proclaiming that I follow a just God.

Christian, the best thing to do is to educate ourselves on what is going on and take action. Pray for wisdom over this. The beginning of wisdom is fearing the Lord and understand that you don’t know everything. Pray for the healing of our world. Despite your political party, you, Christian are called to honor God whatever you do. You are called to love, regardless. We hate oppression, absolutely. But we love each and every one of God’s kids, the oppressed and the oppressors, we love them as God’s creations. We love because He first loved every single one of us despite our sins. We’re called to make disciples but how are we to even lead others to Christ if we can’t first love them and see them as children of God? Christians, we need to educate ourselves, constantly educate ourselves, and act on those convictions. Maybe this means protesting in a way that honors God. Maybe this means having difficult conversations with your loved ones. Maybe this means extending grace, love, and forgiveness to those who don’t agree with you. That’s what we ought to do. Remember the grace of God. Remember the mercy of God. Remember the love of God. Remember the character of God. Look at how Jesus dealt with injustice. Look at how Jesus lived. That is who we are called to be. I’m praying over us. I’m praying over this world. Thank you for taking the time to hear me pour my heart out. Let me just end with this passage, it’s from 1 John.

KNOWING GOD THROUGH LOVE

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us^[b] in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice^[c] for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in^[d] us and his love is made complete in us. ¹³This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. ¹⁶And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment.^[e] So the one who fears is not complete in love. ¹⁹We love^[f] because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.^[g] ²¹And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.