Don’t Look Left and Don’t Look Right

(This was written July 2015- it is even more relevant now)

We are living in troubling times. There is an increasing division between peoples for many reasons. What are we to politically stand for, and what should we not stand for? The amount of contentiousness that is in our country is increasing by leaps and bounds.

As I was contemplating the many events that are now happening, my mind was drawn back to a similar time when people were voicing their concerns about what was going on around them. I would like to share the following experience with you because it gave me an immediate peace and direction which I have used to keep my own feelings stable as the world continues its destructive path.

In 2003, as I was getting ready to teach an adult religion course, my eyes were drawn to my television set. “Operation Shock and Awe” had started in Iraq. I stood there a moment watching the news and then changed to another channel. There, the newscaster was talking about another event happening in a different part of the world. I flipped through the channels, and I was in actuality viewing many places in the world from the television in my home.

The awe of being able to stand in my bedroom, looking at the events of the world taking place at that moment gave me pause. What do you do with it all? Scene after scene; dozens of conversations were taking place. In many ways it was overwhelming, and yet it had no real impact upon that quiet bedroom. I was just a watcher.

I sat down for a moment and just started to watch channel after channel; event after event. There were loud and vocal opinions after loud and vocal opinions. The whole world was passing before me. As I watched and listened it began to have impact, because the thought growing within me was: how do you know what is really real and true in the midst of the constant barrage of scenes and information.

With that in my mind, I got up and walked over to my closet to put on my shoes. Thoughts flooded my mind! “What do we do with all that is going on? What do we think about all that is going on?”

As I was pulling on my shoes, suddenly the words came to my mind: “Don’t look left and don’t look right. Just bear witness that Jesus is the Christ.” Those words: So simple, and yet so complete. Keep the main thing the main thing. There is only one peace on earth and that is the Christ. He tells us how to get peace, and yet we constantly turn away from it. I felt an inner calmness as I realized how simple it was to hang on to, when things become so scrambled.

The days we are in right now are even less peaceful. The whole earth is in commotion. We were told that these days were coming and basically from the turn of the century, twice the entire world has been at war, and the wars have never truly ended. We are obsessed and side tracked with toys and “stuff” while the peace and the love of our fellowman is shrinking.

Yet in all of this commotion there is a quiet voice that tells us where to stand and how to stand. Don’t look left and don’t look right. Just bear witness that Jesus is the Christ. With that witness, one will grow in strength and life will become bearable in darkening days.