Where is your hope?

Well here we are, a few days removed from the election, and no clear-cut winner. Personally, this comes as no surprise – something about 2020 just feels like this is right on par for everything else that’s happened this year.

But as I look around, I notice an interesting phenomenon: I see more people than ever before, genuinely fearful about what will happen if the other side wins.

Now, I get it – we’re a more polarized society than ever; information (and misinformation) spreads at the speed of light, and fear seems to be the order of the day.

So, when your candidate is ahead, all of society’s ills feel like they’re going to miraculously work themselves out.

And when your candidate is behind, then the consequences of the other side winning means that all of society’s ills are going to be magnified and the world as we know it is going to come to an end.

I get it.

The uncertainty of everything is a bit frightening. The riots and the protests, the lawsuits and countersuits, the counts and recounts are all quite unsettling.

But let’s consider a larger issue that this election (and this entire year) has revealed: There is a heck of a lot in our lives that we simply cannot control. And despite our greatest efforts as humans to have full domain over every little thing in our lives, have we ever had any real control? 

I mean, sure – if it’s a bit chilly outside we can adjust the temperature in our homes by turning on the heater, but there’s not a dang thing we can do to control the temperature outside the house, no matter how hard we try.

Which heaters have you given too much of your emotions to?

The sun rises without our doing anything to either facilitate or prevent it. The earth spins without any regard to what we think, do, or conspire. Stars shine, the tides roll in and out – heck – even the birds continue to be fed, in spite of all of the changes happening around us. 

Where is our hope? What are we placing it in?

Is it in humanity? Is it in a single candidate?

No wonder we’re a mess.

Humanity will let you down – even a cursory study of history will confirm that. But what if, instead of trying to put ourselves and our common humanity in the seat of ultimate power, we chose to consider the tides, the birds of the air, the rotation of the earth.

I believe there is a God out there who keeps all of that running perfectly, and who smirks at our efforts to usurp his position.

Is it possible that we humans have moved away from considering a single, all-powerful, good God and replaced him with billions of individual gods (ourselves) who try to take everything on in the power of our own intellect, political systems, or cleverness?

How’s that working for us?

I know some would say we’ve advanced as humans. I think that’s partially true. But I think the other aspect is that in our advanced state we have chosen to reject God outright. And that’s why we are so unhappy. That’s why we’re constantly bumping into one another.

It’s why the first commandment is to Love God and not put anything else in his place.

How about an experiment: Over the next week, limit your news intake, and instead sit outside and ponder nature, listen to the birds sing, take longer walks, watch a sunset. If you feel so inclined, ask God to reveal himself to you (even – and especially? – if you don’t think he’s out there listening). If you feel really brave, ask him to take the #1 seat in your life and your awareness, and resolve to keep him there no matter what distractions come your way.

Observe what happens on the inside.

Invite your friends to join you in this experiment.

At the end of 7 days, see if you feel less anxious. See if you feel more at peace. Pay attention to the love-hate ratio in your heart and see if the scales tip in favor of love.

Because here’s what I believe: In a world where things are out of (our) control, how wise is it to put ultimate hope in our own humanity? I’d much prefer to put my hope in the God who created it all, sustains it all, and who promises to redeem it all.

And I’d sure love for you to test those waters with me.  

I trust you’ll find them refreshingly wonderful.

Talk to you in 7 days,

Nate