Tipping the Scales

To say we are living in difficult times is obvious. But perhaps not to everyone. What does seem obvious to me is we live in a time of extremes. Extreme sports, extreme experiences, extreme viewpoints, and extreme reactions to each other. Somehow, our culture has developed toward the need for everything in our lives to be the biggest, the best, the most bold. No room for quiet determination. We must be loud in our efforts and make sure everyone knows that we are.

And this tendency has spilled into our information resources. Regardless of your political views, I think we can all agree that the sharing of information, whether through traditional news sources, online sources or face-to-face, has become less tolerant and more aggressive than before. Nowhere is more evident than in talking about the future.
We are obsessed with the future. (See my article entitled “Pulling Back the Curtain” from February 2022). And right now, many are concerned about the near future – as in this year. We are bombarded with stories about the impending climate change catastrophe, a global famine, skyrocketing inflation, a real estate bubble burst and more. Depending on your perspective, we are also told that there is a moral crisis developing as our nation strays from its Christian foundation. Others contend we are in a battle against the evil forces of discrimination. Regardless of which of these crises you deem real or imagined, we are told we must decide which are which and got to battle.

And then there are some people who believe the world is not in crisis and all the noise is just that – noise. Their contention is that things are not any worse, there is just so much information it seems that way. I have friends who believe this and choose to live their lives comfortably and without worry about the world. And then I have other friends who are obsessed with every event that happens and interpreting them as proof that chaos is near.

So what is really going on and what do we do about it? I think the best answers (always) are in the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

You may interpret the above characteristics differently than I do, but the main point of these verses are to remind us that personal pursuits are sinful. This doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy vacations, good food or other pleasures. But, rather, that doing so should not be the main focus of our lives. It is about balance. And that balance for those of us who are Christians is unique. We acknowledge that the world is a broken, violent, selfish place while we also acknowledge that it is also a temporary place. And because of that, we do not get overly excited when things go wrong.

Now this does not mean the difficulties we are facing are not real. The reports of the coming global food shortages are so wide spread and factually founded that they cannot be ignored by rational people. And so we should prepare for the empty shelves. Over the last several months, we have chosen to by extra at the grocery store each week to create an emergency pantry for the future. Some for us, but most of the surplus is intended for others. I would encourage anyone with the means to do the same. Don’t avoid your duty to love your neighbor as yourself as Jesus instructed because there are programs to help others. (Read the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke, chapter 10).

Inflation is real and effecting millions across the globe. To be honest, it is not affecting our household drastically and we are thankful we are in that position. But as a Christian, the situation calls us to seek out ways to help others because we have been blessed with resources. And let’s be honest, those of us who are doing well can help others easily without inconveniencing ourselves. That said, I really think we should help to the point that it does become a bit inconvenient. If we only do what is comfortable, are we really giving or is it more of doing our duty?

And finally, we come to the idea of being ready. If you are not a person of faith, this section will likely not make sense to you. That’s okay. Read it anyway and see if you cannot find some insight into what makes us Christians tick.

We can of course help others in many ways as we have just explored. And doing so is following the commands from Jesus and the Bible to be kind and generous. This concept applies regardless of the times we live in. But what does it mean to be ready as a Christian? Let’s look at Jesus’ words on the matter.

Matthew 24:42-44
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Generally speaking, when someone is trying to convey an important message, they place the main point at the beginning of the statement. Jesus did so here by saying, ‘Therefore, stay awake.’ By stay wake, he means to be aware of all that is going on around us. Now he doesn’t say to stay awake and get stressed. Or stay awake and become a prepper. No, He simply means to be aware and guard ourselves from deception and worldly concerns. So, in these three words we can find the balance we need for these difficult times. Let’s not tip the scales one direction or another. Be aware of both the craziness of this world and the amazing love our God has for us and His promises for our future.