“Believing in the Risen Lord means believing that in and through Christ the evil one has been overcome and that death no longer is the final word.”
– Henri Nouwen

Normally, I am able to overlook the political banter of those around me; but lately I have allowed the current unrest of the nation in which I live to stir up a great deal of uncertainty and fear within my soul. What I have been recognizing recently amongst my fellow citizens is unsettling. Respectful discussions have been replaced with fierce battles laced with insulting and disparaging remarks. Peaceful demonstrations have been replaced with violent and destructive protests. Prayer circles have been replaced with exclusive alliances. Opinions have been replaced with false facts. And, the ability to pause and reflect on what is really happening has been replaced with uninformed knee-jerk reactions.

While I cannot change the way anyone responds to this type of national crisis, I can look within myself to become more aware and alert to how I respond to what is going on around me. Knowing that, I have spent a good deal of time reading some of the writings of the spiritual giants who have gone before me, and reflecting on how those people handled adversity and uneasiness (within themselves and others). This summer especially, I have been discovering a lot about my own relationship with God through the journeys of people like Henri Nouwen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Sue Monk Kidd, Thomas Merton, and Father Mychal Judge.

What I have discovered over and over again is that my ego thinks it is in charge of this world. More often than not, my egotistical nature tells me that I MUST do something about what is going on. It tells me to speak out, protest, kick, scream, yell, or lay down in peaceful demonstration. It tells me that if I don’t do something RIGHT NOW at this exact moment, the consequences of my inaction will be detrimental! My ego is – more often than not – a liar.

Henri Nouwen’s quote above is clear. God is in charge. Death, of any kind, lost the battle over 2000 years ago. That death includes death of a person, death of a nation, death of an idea, death of a relationship, etc. Death no longer has the upper hand – no matter how big or small it may seem to me at any one moment. What does that mean in relation to what is going on in this country today and how I respond to it? It means this: when confronted with an issue, a disagreement, or an injustice, I pause before reacting or responding. I research the facts before I form an opinion. I gather information before I begin talking about it with others. I understand an issue the best that I can before I start protesting it, supporting it, or ignoring it. And I remind myself that no matter what is happening at any given moment, God is in charge. Without faith in that simple fact, I will be lost within the sea of unrest surrounding me.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who died speaking out against the Nazi regime during World War II, once said, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.” I agree with that statement 100%. I also believe that before I point my finger at something and name it “evil” I must take everything about it and around it into consideration. Evil is a strong word and I am not willing to use it carelessly. Are you?

Today, I ask myself what I can do to improve the state of the nation. Right now, my only thought is to pray.