Are you as tired as I am of all the fussing and raised voices around us? Every time I turn around it seems like there are angry words and hard feelings, with a “my side” and “their side” attitude. I’m right and you’re wrong. Relationships between friends and families have been strained, even broken, by disagreements over politics, the pandemic, masks, social issues, and more. The sheer amount of “bad news” wears me down.
I try to stay out of arguments, especially on social media. But it’s not because I don’t have opinions, because I most definitely do. My goal is to “keep the main thing the main thing,” which is to share the “good news” of the gospel of Jesus. There’s a lost and hurting world out there that needs it. Paul tells us, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18) Peter adds, “…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15) I once heard someone point out that we should live in such a way that other people WANT to ask us about what we have with Jesus because they see something different in us, something they want.
Do I advocate watering down the truth, catering to the crowd? Not one bit. But I believe that when people come to know the love and grace of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will begin the process of changing them from the inside out. And the changes will be based on a love relationship, not on rules or compulsion.
I’ve heard it put this way. If you go into a dark room, do you yell and scream at the darkness and expect the light to come on? No, you flip the light switch and turn on the light. Turning on the light ends the darkness. If we live in the light of Jesus, and let His light shine through us, that light will illuminate the deepest, darkest night.