Our Broken World
In the midst of so much uncertainty, there is at least one certainty: people are broken.
During this crisis, this brokenness has been exposed on a number of levels:
– Some government leaders are deflecting blame and pointing fingers. Others are becoming increasingly autocratic and cracking down on their populations.
– There has been a significant increase in divorce rates in many nations, as well as a significant rise in reports of domestic abuse (and it is estimated that many more instances are not reported because the victims are fearful of calling for help because they are locked down together with their abusers).
– And now, a boiling over of racial tensions based on several instances of police brutality.
While I am saddened and angered by these things, I am not surprised. When the apostle Paul described a person who is controlled by the flesh in Galatians 5, he included the qualities of “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions.” Sound familiar? Those sins sound familiar to me because I have been guilty of every one over my lifetime. I need Jesus to bring change in my life, so that I can bring change to the world.
As followers of Jesus, now is the time to come alongside those who are hurting and to take a stand for justice. But even more importantly, we need to increasingly rely on God to bring about lasting change.
Let’s develop a habit of regularly acknowledging our own sin and brokenness to God and others. Let’s pray to our all-powerful God “for kings and all in authority” (I Timothy 2:2) and for justice to prevail. Let’s give generously to help those in need. Let’s share the hope and love of Jesus with those around us. And let’s make disciples – training them to love God and love others in the power of the Holy Spirit. A great place to start would be to commit to living out Philippians 2:3, which says, “in humility, consider others more important than yourselves.”