“Restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.“ – George Orwell
I claim no particular intelligence, but here goes…
This day on the January calendar is a complicated one for me. I simply cannot let it go by without sharing a few words that I hope I hold as humbly as I do deeply.
I remember this day four years ago when we watched Americans choose coercion and violence over persuasion and peace. Even more disheartening: far more Americans minimized, blame shifted, or even celebrated the violence.
I join many friends today reiterating what I have said in the past:
Violence is not the way of Jesus.
That reality has been restated to me over and over again as I spent the last year pondering the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught us to seek reconciliation of relationships – even if when costs us something.
We lost a part of ourselves that day. We fell asleep to the reality that we are more connected to each other than we could ever imagine, and more responsible to each other than our individualism could ever accept.
But with today’s peaceful transfer of power (even if half of the country would choose another outcome), I see a strange, small hope for a way back. God is patient and infinitely ingenious in drawing us back to humility, mercy, and peacemaking.
I seek no debate. I seek neither engagement nor comment.
That black day happened. Full stop.
Americans wounded other Americans. Americans rushed to dispute the facts and the circumstances of that day. Some of our leaders and influencers used that chaos as a ladder in a quest for profit or power.
That is a reality. The sooner we collectively admit the wrong of that day, the better off we will all be. In the trite but authentic language of healing, owning the problem is the first step in a long road towards flourishing.
Restating the Obvious…
“Restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.“ – George Orwell
I claim no particular intelligence, but here goes…
This day on the January calendar is a complicated one for me. I simply cannot let it go by without sharing a few words that I hope I hold as humbly as I do deeply.
I remember this day four years ago when we watched Americans choose coercion and violence over persuasion and peace. Even more disheartening: far more Americans minimized, blame shifted, or even celebrated the violence.
I join many friends today reiterating what I have said in the past:
Violence is not the way of Jesus.
That reality has been restated to me over and over again as I spent the last year pondering the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus taught us to seek reconciliation of relationships – even if when costs us something.
We lost a part of ourselves that day. We fell asleep to the reality that we are more connected to each other than we could ever imagine, and more responsible to each other than our individualism could ever accept.
But with today’s peaceful transfer of power (even if half of the country would choose another outcome), I see a strange, small hope for a way back. God is patient and infinitely ingenious in drawing us back to humility, mercy, and peacemaking.
I seek no debate. I seek neither engagement nor comment.
That black day happened. Full stop.
Americans wounded other Americans. Americans rushed to dispute the facts and the circumstances of that day. Some of our leaders and influencers used that chaos as a ladder in a quest for profit or power.
That is a reality. The sooner we collectively admit the wrong of that day, the better off we will all be. In the trite but authentic language of healing, owning the problem is the first step in a long road towards flourishing.
Hardness of heart is the enemy of us all.