I don’t know about you, but I am disgusted by what’s going on in our country. With the exception of how politicized it has become, I’m not even talking about the pandemic. I heard a report today that the riots, that continue in many of our cities, in just May and June cost us $2 billion. With it being mid-September, what’s the modified price tag (dollars), in addition to the loss and injury to life, loss of businesses and livelihoods, the destruction of property, and theft, especially in our poorest communities.
I watch more news than is good for me…because I just saw a report about abuse of our elderly. What happens to a society where the sanctity of life means nothing, a society that has killed 10s of millions of unborn babies over the last several decades. It’s the same society where murder rates have increased so dramatically recently, disproportionately in our inner cities. Rarely discussed, rates of suicides, addictions, and overdoses continue to climb. And the use of pornography is overwhelming, including by our kids at younger and younger ages.
Add to the above a stark example of depravity in our society, a pornographic movie now on Netflix, called “Cuties”. It’s beyond the pale. It’s pure pedophilia. It’s the exploitation of 11-year old girls. You can’t possibly watch it and believe anything different. And yet Netflix not only continues to broadcast it, but defends it.
There’s a phrase that rings so true and that is, “the silence is deafening”. It is astonishing the number of people, especially those with a platform, who have not spoken out about “Cuties” or any of the other things identified above. Simply astonishing. Very sad.
Previously a big fan of the NFL, I used to watch ESPN’s Sunday morning show, with Chris Berman, Tom Jackson, Mike Ditka, Cris Carter, Keyshawn Johnson, and others. Each Sunday, they had a segment, where each commentator called out strange or egregious behavior with the phrase “come on man”. It was funny stuff.
In praying through this week’s blog, it’s the phrase that kept coming to mind. With the craziness that’s going on in our world…come on man (and woman)….enough is enough!!!
What Can We Do?
What can we do? My wife and I were discussing the other night the fact that we feel that we need to do something. Just sitting quietly makes us feel helpless. What can we do? I’d suggest a few things:
- Pray – our country needs prayer. We are broken. So many people are searching. So many people, as exemplified by their actions, can’t possibly know the love of Jesus Christ. It literally just occurred to me last week, that I need to pray for the rioters. We all need to pray. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus tells us, “but I say to you: love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. And pray for those who persecute and slander you”. We need to pray for those who are being hurt, those inflicting the pain, and for ourselves.
- Care for Others– people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We need to love others. We need to care for others. As part of the Great Commandments, Jesus told us in Matthew 22:39, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Our world desperately needs more love and it begins with each of us individually. How are we caring for those closest to us? How we live inside our homes dictates how we live, how we treat others, outside our homes. We need to love one another, those in our inner circle and those we meet for the first time.
- Charitably Speak the Truth – there is far too much misinformation in today’s world. Truth matters. Truth is important. That said, truth needs to be delivered charitably. As stated in #2 above, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We need to love one another and part of that love is sharing the truth. We hear about the division in families over tough topics, i.e. politics. I’d argue that discussing tough issues is important and needs to take place…charitably.
So in closing, come on man/woman….enough is enough!!! Let’s do something about what’s going on in our world. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 above are a good start.
As always, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with questions, comments, concerns, or challenges. Happy to pray for you as well.
God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!
Mark Joseph