Questioning Peace
Right now the wind is rustling the leaves of the lush trees in our back yard. The chimes sound out a pleasant note or two. Birds chirp. And yes, some annoying truck is making its presence known. It is an almost perfect moment. You kids are watching a show so I can write.
We live in a region of the world that experiences peace more than turmoil. But scan the news headlines, and violence is near. The eastern part of our country is still reeling in grief over RCMP officers being gunned down. The country south of here is being bombarded with mass shootings in public places, often initiated by "good" citizens. Half way across the world, militants unleash terror on cities and nations while locals wonder if they will be alive to eat breakfast the next day.
And yet here, it is calm. I hear a lawn mover cutting green grass and a central vacuum system whirling in the background. Oh, I know all is not well in people's lives. Domestic violence is a problem no matter where you go. People are desperate for food, as the poor will always be with us. Individuals steal, kill, assault.
Yet, in my world, it seems serene.
Sometimes I wonder what my role is as I experience no threat to person. Truly, at this point in time, I do not consider myself being persecuted for anything, really. I am not really suffering, save for some relatively minor gut issues. While our extended family does struggle with various health issues or the occasional financial crisis, we are doing okay for our ages and stages.
Our small group finished our study of 1 Peter last week. It was a challenging book to apply, especially since none of us are suffering to the same extent as the believers to whom the book was written. But I think it did create in us an empathy to prayer for those who are in dire circumstances for their faith. After all, one day, we might find ourselves in the same situation. And if that day comes, would we be counted as faithful, doing the right thing in spite of suffering? Or would we walk out and reject all the we believed as fairy tale?
Lately, I have been enraptured in the Hungry Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. (I've been reading it every spare moment it get!) The trilogy has a disturbing premise, where the ruling class, the Capitol, subjugates its 12 Districts by forcing one boy and one girl (ages 12 - 18) from each district to fight each other in the annual "Hunger Games" until only one remains alive. The victor's district then receives extra food for a year while the other Districts continue to fight starvation. After a series of dramatic events, (warning: mild spoiler ahead) the Districts revolt and begin fighting against the Capitol. The injustice and cruelty of the Capitol cannot be tolerated any longer. Even moral insiders from the Capitol join the Rebel forces.
This has got me thinking, when does the injustice and cruelty incurred by other Christians or other fellow humans become too much for us to handle, especially for us who are "safe". When is it right to join the "Rebel forces", so to speak. Now, I am not talking about a call to arms or anything violent. I am talking about a mind shift, where we stop being lulled to sleep by our personal peace and become vigilant for those who are suffering. Since we have it so good here, doesn't that mean we have a larger responsibility to ease suffering and pain around the world? I think we do.
When we decided to follow Christ, God didn't snatch us up immediately to reward us with the pleasures of heaven. He left us here in a world wracked with pain. Why? Maybe so we can embrace our suffering as a way to understand Christ's suffering and love for the world. Maybe to remind us to reach out to those in need and be the hope and love and grace Christ freely imparted to us. Maybe to help us forget about the little kingdoms we are trying to build for ourselves and ask ourselves very seriously, "How can I build God's Kingdom here, where I am, today?"
In the end, internal peace is God's promise to us, through Christ's death and resurrection. External peace? Well, it's not a guarantee. External peace at the cost of someone else's suffering?* That's very questionable. May we be Christians who stand up for justice.
*Many Canadian soldiers gave their lives for their country's peace. While war is questionable in terms of its morality, I am honored by the sacrifice that men and women have made for my external peace.
We live in a region of the world that experiences peace more than turmoil. But scan the news headlines, and violence is near. The eastern part of our country is still reeling in grief over RCMP officers being gunned down. The country south of here is being bombarded with mass shootings in public places, often initiated by "good" citizens. Half way across the world, militants unleash terror on cities and nations while locals wonder if they will be alive to eat breakfast the next day.
And yet here, it is calm. I hear a lawn mover cutting green grass and a central vacuum system whirling in the background. Oh, I know all is not well in people's lives. Domestic violence is a problem no matter where you go. People are desperate for food, as the poor will always be with us. Individuals steal, kill, assault.
Yet, in my world, it seems serene.
Sometimes I wonder what my role is as I experience no threat to person. Truly, at this point in time, I do not consider myself being persecuted for anything, really. I am not really suffering, save for some relatively minor gut issues. While our extended family does struggle with various health issues or the occasional financial crisis, we are doing okay for our ages and stages.
Our small group finished our study of 1 Peter last week. It was a challenging book to apply, especially since none of us are suffering to the same extent as the believers to whom the book was written. But I think it did create in us an empathy to prayer for those who are in dire circumstances for their faith. After all, one day, we might find ourselves in the same situation. And if that day comes, would we be counted as faithful, doing the right thing in spite of suffering? Or would we walk out and reject all the we believed as fairy tale?
Lately, I have been enraptured in the Hungry Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. (I've been reading it every spare moment it get!) The trilogy has a disturbing premise, where the ruling class, the Capitol, subjugates its 12 Districts by forcing one boy and one girl (ages 12 - 18) from each district to fight each other in the annual "Hunger Games" until only one remains alive. The victor's district then receives extra food for a year while the other Districts continue to fight starvation. After a series of dramatic events, (warning: mild spoiler ahead) the Districts revolt and begin fighting against the Capitol. The injustice and cruelty of the Capitol cannot be tolerated any longer. Even moral insiders from the Capitol join the Rebel forces.
This has got me thinking, when does the injustice and cruelty incurred by other Christians or other fellow humans become too much for us to handle, especially for us who are "safe". When is it right to join the "Rebel forces", so to speak. Now, I am not talking about a call to arms or anything violent. I am talking about a mind shift, where we stop being lulled to sleep by our personal peace and become vigilant for those who are suffering. Since we have it so good here, doesn't that mean we have a larger responsibility to ease suffering and pain around the world? I think we do.
When we decided to follow Christ, God didn't snatch us up immediately to reward us with the pleasures of heaven. He left us here in a world wracked with pain. Why? Maybe so we can embrace our suffering as a way to understand Christ's suffering and love for the world. Maybe to remind us to reach out to those in need and be the hope and love and grace Christ freely imparted to us. Maybe to help us forget about the little kingdoms we are trying to build for ourselves and ask ourselves very seriously, "How can I build God's Kingdom here, where I am, today?"
In the end, internal peace is God's promise to us, through Christ's death and resurrection. External peace? Well, it's not a guarantee. External peace at the cost of someone else's suffering?* That's very questionable. May we be Christians who stand up for justice.
*Many Canadian soldiers gave their lives for their country's peace. While war is questionable in terms of its morality, I am honored by the sacrifice that men and women have made for my external peace.