Be Thankful

In light of the recent racial divide in this country, I've made the statement to several people recently that the world would be better off if it was blind. Admittedly, I've said this out of anger as I have become increasingly frustrated over a hatred and mistrust that, for the most part, I thought was left behind 50 years ago coming back in full force. Regardless of where you stand on the recent events, you can't deny that we are living in some very scary times. And as we continue to progress in terms of technology, it seems we take steps back as a human race.

As a Christian, I know the answer and the solution to all of this is Jesus. I’ve known it for 9 years. However, I have found myself increasingly frustrated over society's inability to see it. And thus, several times in the last few weeks when I've been debating with people on social media, I've at one point thrown up my hands and said, "The world would be better off if it was blind." 

Despite the anger in that statement, there is some truth to it. In a world that has rejected God, anger and hatred take hold of people in a lot of ways, but none more so than the color of a person's skin, their religion, their political affiliation, or sexual orientation. All these things conjure up so much hatred and division. And a lot of it is based on what we see and hear. What if God took that away? What if the world woke up one day, and no one could see? Or hear? What if we couldn't see that a person was white, or black, or Spanish, or Muslim, or Jewish? What if we couldn't hear that someone was a Trump supporter, or a Hillary advocate? Or that someone was gay, or transsexual? Or that they were against abortion? What would people do if they literally had to rely on their senses to survive, and could no longer rely on two things so simple that most of us take for granted: The ability to see someone, and hate them, or the ability to hear someone and hate them? 

Well for starters, the world would shut up. And shut down. Literally. We would no longer see the wars, death and destruction that are waged over religion, race and power. We'd no longer hear that someone disagrees with us. We wouldn’t be able to lash out at them, tell them we hate them, judge them, or assault them. And we'd no longer be able to do anything else for that matter, either. Go to work, take our kids to school. Get the mail. We'd literally be helpless.

All of what I just mentioned is unlikely, but not impossible. God makes all things, gives all things, allows all things and can take away all things. In Job 1:21, it says that “the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away”. It also says the Lord made us all different in Genesis 11:7, when He scattered everyone at the Tower of Babel across the world. The world at that time was one race, and spoke one language. But that all changed when people ignored God's commandment to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth after the flood, and instead tried to build a tower to Heaven. Therefore, God could just as easily take away our sight and our hearing if He wanted to. But He doesn’t because that’s not part of His plan. His plan is for us to love Him and love others, just as He loves us. But unfortunately, we as a people have forgotten that.

So think about that the next time you’re angry at someone because they’re different from you, and you’re tempted to insult them, yell at them, or even physically harm them. Think about what you would do in that moment if, right as you were about to attack them, God took away your sight, or your hearing, and you were suddenly at THEIR mercy. What would you do?

We live in perilous times, people. Use your time, your energy and your words more carefully. Stop the hate, stop the division, and spread more love. And be thankful for the simple things you have in life. Cause like our existence on this earth, it’s all temporary.