I don’t know why I’m writing this. Maybe it’s because I just finished my morning coffee. Maybe it’s because the husband just left for a week and I’m trying to stay motivated to do things. But it’s most likely because I’m watching my morning news and my heart feels heavier than usual. I don’t live a very heart heavy life. Yes, there are challenges, and choices and there are times when it seems that my childhood (adult) dream of running away and living in a treehouse near a waterfall is the most logical solution, but that’s just day to day chaos. It’s a beautiful mess; to live is to embrace that. What my life isn’t is desperately fleeing from my Country, the only home I have ever know, now run by blood thirsty terrorists. It isn’t laying flowers outside a Parisian restaurant because that’s where my best friend met their sudden end. It isn’t wondering how a bomb made it on the plane that blew up my husband, or mother, or child. My life doesn’t know what it means to see a suicide bomber and run towards him instead of away.
I don’t claim in anyway to be highly educated in foreign affairs or politically inclined. I read some articles, watch the reports and listen to the interviews. I try to discern and take things with a grain of salt over others. Over the past few days, I have become more and more angered by my fellow humans. I’m sure it hasn’t always been a righteous anger, and I can think of at least 10 other people who would put it more eloquently than I will. But can we please just be real for a minute? Since when did “mourning with those who mourn” become so complicated? You don’t have to be a Christian to agree with that Scripture. It’s basic humanity. And by the way, if you’re all about peace and loving everyone and being ok with everything (so basically over half of my generation) that’s exactly what you’re holding to. But instead of mourning with those that have lost, I have seen post after post of people that are now up in arms that we aren’t doing it right. I mean, how dare we change our profile picture to the Paris flag but not Beiruts'(which is basically a re-creation of #blacklivesmatter compared to #alllivesmatter if you think about it.) How dare we “pray only for Paris” when other countries are suffering. Since we’re on the subject of prayer, isn’t it funny that it is the one thing that a coach mere miles from where I live has gained national recognition, a lawsuit and is going to be fired over for taking a knee before a high school football game? But somehow, #prayforParis overran social media less than a week ago and it is shared, liked, embraced. The day after the Paris attacks I hear media reporting that law enforcement has been amped up all over our Country. Wait, does that mean that cops aren’t racist murderers now that you feel threatened and want their faithful protection? Well then, I’m confused.
Ok, some of that may seem a bit jaded and the influence of more than a few Marine’s not so unbiased opinions on me may have come through. I guess my point from this self declared blog rant is that instead of a red paper cup, our blood should boil over the hypocrisy and social injustice of a fallen world. Maybe we should realize that changing a profile picture may simply be a gesture and honestly, it’s all that many Americans feel they can do to show their support. Maybe you should read the many articles that were indeed written about other attacks and educate yourself instead of blaming others for not telling you about it. Maybe we as a Country should focus on how each individual can help heal the brokenness? Maybe we should allow ourselves to overflow with compassion. My prayer is that grace would abound and cloak us in a humility that allows us to mourn with those who mourn in an intentional, no hidden agenda, real kind of way. That it would prompt us to stop starting social media and political wars over what we aren’t doing, and start focusing on what we can.
“Let love be without hypocrisy, abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” – Romans 12:9,15
wide-eyed&wanderlust 