There are many things I just don’t understand – and may never truly comprehend.
I worked many years in politics and campaigning and I can honestly say – I just don’t understand so many things. I don’t get the whole the “deep state” conspiracy. I don’t understand why people are devoted to someone who would throw them under bus in an instant. I don’t understand why the right is moving so far to the right while the left seems to lurching further to the left. I don’t understand how character mattered a few years ago, but now it doesn’t. I don’t understand why we are embracing the belief that the ends justify the means.
I don’t understand why American Christians claim to be followers of Jesus, but then many ignore the things he calls on followers to do. I don’t understand why we aren’t welcoming the stranger when Jesus calls on us to do just that. I don’t understand why we aren’t loving our enemy when Jesus tells us to do that. I don’t understand why we aren’t favoring the poor when the Bible is full of sayings about how God favors the poor.
Yes, there are many more things I don’t understand. To think about these things and more makes my head hurt. It leaves me in a state of confusion. None of it makes sense.
And that’s the thing. It doesn’t make sense. None of what the world is doing makes sense.
A prime example – I read an article from an author that was convinced that he had to expose the “Deep State” – that mythical secretive shadow government running everything. I stopped reading a couple of paragraphs in when the author thought that one of the ways to expose the Deep State was to make the government more transparent. I have no issue with transparency – I think it’s a great idea actually. Yet, I have to laugh. We have an administration full of people who are anything but transparent – and yet there is some kind of secret government screwing things up? Huh?!? That makes no sense. Unless someone has blind loyalty and ignores the reality of what is happening.
I don’t understand because so many things just don’t make any sense. Sense is unnecessary when there are people hellbent on being right. It comes with many descriptors – Orthodoxy, Fundamentalism, Partisanship, infatuation with a leader, Messiahism, Etc.
The real question becomes this – what do we do going forward? I don’t have the answers – I wish I did. Here’s what I know. I will speak up when I believe I can be heard. It doesn’t always make sense to speak up – especially when your words are just going to be ignored. I will continue to follow Jesus. I will continue to write. I will continue to question the insanity that the world seems engrossed in. I will continue to seek truth. I will continue to love and serve my neighbors. I will continue to listen for understanding. I will continue to talk about uncomfortable things that happen around us. I will continue to attempt to find common ground with others. I will continue to see the humanity of each person I encounter. I will continue to proclaim Good News.
What will you do?
I think and hope I will continue to serve all those in need. I have waaaaaay more things I don’t understand than you which causes the head in the sand syndrome sometimes. My hope and trust lies in knowing God is in control….WOW, he must have a king size headache dealing with the mess that has been created down here.
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Amen.
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You are a peacemaker, and this is the kind of blunt truth people need to hear, especially Christians.
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I try. Thanks for reading and your comments.
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Matthew, I would love to explain all those things you don’t understand, but I don’t understand them either.
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I’m not surprised by that. I may be confused by many things, but it’s nice to know that I’m not alone.
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