The Deepening Of Our Souls
The boondoggle of how my country, America, Inc., is handling the coronavirus situation continues to unfold. There are new layers of things to be angry about for sure, but anger is not where I live. I live with hope.
Winston Churchill famously said, “You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing – after they have tried everything else.”
I think there is a good chance that sentiment will win the day. Will there be costs in lives and treasure for how staggeringly poor this situation has been prepared for and managed – absolutely. But despite how profoundly corrupt and dysfunctional our political and healthcare systems are, Americans are incredible innovators. The United States consistently leads the world in medical research and innovating new pharmaceuticals and medical devices. If there is a cure to be found for COVID-19, it wouldn’t be surprising if it came from the United States. I am hopeful that this too shall pass.
But that is all a discussion of the BIG THINGS – which isn’t where I choose to live either.
One of the many things I have learned from Jesus is where the healing of the world takes place and how to engage it.
Jesus had the most staggering mission in human history – saving the world – and an incredibly short time to accomplish it (SEE – “A Savior And An Un-Saved World”). If any of us were Jesus, we might try to raise an army, take over a government, start a global non-profit organization, or any number of BIG and audacious things. But not Jesus. The most influential human being in history spent his life focusing on the SMALL THINGS. He never traveled far from nowheresville, had much money, created much of anything resembling an organizational structure, or spent much time with important people – and yet no one has ever done more to elevate the human condition or bring more saving to the world than this man.
I think Jesus must know something, a lot of things actually, that we don’t – things that we intuitively get wrong. One of the many things that we so instinctively miss that Jesus is trying to teach and show us is that hope, and life and the healing of the world are found in the small things. A simple life lived as an offering of love to God and other people can and will have a greater impact in the world than we often dare to imagine.
It is the testament of Jesus’ life that small acts of love, kindness, generosity, grace, selflessness, and courage are more powerful and more enduring than all the big acts of force, manipulation, greed, and fear.
Jesus is trying to show us and tell us to put our hope and find our lives in the small things; and that is how I am seeing the world right now – full of hope.
As a pastor of a mission church just east of downtown Atlanta, I am seeing the crowd of those in need grow every week. People have been without work and many without pay for four weeks now. As best as anyone can tell the state unemployment office is non-functioning and government promises aren’t feeding hungry bellies – but people are. Every week we are finding better ways to help the people that need it and help those who are struggling to keep the lights on. All of these resources are coming from the generosity of individuals. These small acts of love, compassion, and generosity are saving the world for some people and some families right now.
The world is in trouble right now – economically, health-wise, politically – but I am full of hope and enthusiasm for the future because of what I see God doing in people’s lives during this time and what people are doing with the time and opportunities they’ve been given.
The big things and the big people are going to do what they have always done. There is little changing that or hope there, but for us, it is a time to deepen our souls. It is a time to remember how the world is really saved – in the small things. It is a time to remember where to put our hope – and where to look to find it. It is a time to remember what is really important. It is a time to see these challenging times as an opportunity to evaluate our lives and re-imagine how we might live into what really matters and become more of the people God put in us the potential to be.
I am so full of hope because of who God is and what I see these times doing, and what they will do, for the deepening of our souls.
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