“What are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”
Psalms 8:4 NRSVue
Reflection:
The fact that God cares about me at all is one of the great mysteries of the universe. We all tend to think that we are important, at least in some way. But in the broader scope of things, none of us really are. I think on some level, we know that. Perhaps that is why we react so strongly when we continually see others being devalued. We see it everywhere. How do most corporate CEOs treat the custodial staff? Perhaps they don’t treat them poorly, but do they ever truly consider their well-being? Do politicians really care about the average everyday citizen?
The gap between the president of the United States and the homeless person trying to stay warm by riding the NYC subway is nothing compared to the gap between the greatest humans in history and God. We marvel at the vastness of the universe; heck, we marvel at the vastness of the sky. God created them both without breaking a sweat.
I could not care less about any of the countless ants on my driveway. Yet the God, who spoke everything into existence, cares about a very ant-like humanity. Even more shockingly, he cares about you and me personally. He even loves us. That is the greatest scandal in the universe!
To my shame, I struggle to really love others. Too often, I find people annoying. I imagine you have the same struggle. They get in my way on the road. They make the line at the grocery store too long. They compete with me for jobs. They argue with me on social media. And maybe worst of all, they seldom realize how truly wonderful I am. But God does. Truthfully, he realizes how utterly broken I am, and he loves me anyway. I find it humbling when someone compliments me, yet I take for granted that the One who created everything loves even me.
Worse, I turn my nose up at others whom God also loves, ignoring the image of God in them while focusing on the ways they annoy me. The foolishness of the Gospel is that God loves me and you. My foolishness is that I struggle to love fellow image bearers when God loves me, who is so far beneath him.
A Quote to Consider:
“Revolutions do not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.”
-Diane Ackerman (in an article on Samuel Adams)
This quote comes from a political context, but it is also applicable spiritually. We often worry about who may be in the majority regarding any given topic. Majorities are important, especially in a democratic republic such as the United States. But being in the majority is not always synonymous with being right.
What is more important is to have an energized minority that has allowed something great to catch our imagination. This bushfire then becomes contagious. It spreads.
For some, the word “irate” in the quote raises a red flag. Others too readily identify with the anger associated with the word. As believers, we are allowed to be irate, but to rephrase the Bible verse, we need to strive to be irate and sin not. What makes us irate matters. Are we irate because our worth or dignity is not being recognized or honored? Or are we irate because our prosperity is in jeopardy? I’m not sure that our own pride or greed will set the type of bushfires that will change the world for the better.
However, if we become irate over injustice and a lack of love in the world, that is the kind of brushfire that can be a refining fire. That is the type of brushfire we saw in the civil rights movement, at the founding of our nation, and the kind of brushfire that spread across the world 2,000 years ago.
Prayer:
Lord,
We are nothing, yet You choose to love us. You are beyond all that we can comprehend, yet you love each and every broken human. Teach us to live in the love You have for all people and extend that love toward all with whom we interact as we go about our daily journeys.
Amen
Image: Pamlea Reynoso
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