This has happened to me on a number of occasions. I will be bombarded with a list of reasons someone is for masks or against the vaccination. And as soon as I try to respond, the person tells me “That’s not true” or “You don’t have your facts right.” There’s absolutely nothing I can say to this type of person, because they aren’t actually looking for a conversation.
We have to be on guard against this tendency in our lives. In order to have the words of James ring true in our lives, we have to be intentional about listening.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)
It’s harder to become angry with someone when we take the time to listen to them.
And it’s not only their words we need to listen to, but also their heart. That’s why these conversations enrage so many of us. They are tapping into something deeper within us. They are bringing to the surface our fears, anxieties, and lack of control.
As much as we say it’s all about facts and research, for many of these tension filled conversations, it’s about something far deeper. We can only truly see someone when we put down our facts-filled weapon and actually listen.
4. Shouting Each Other Down With ‘Let’s Just Preach Jesus’
When it comes to these controversial topics, some respond with a call to “just share the gospel,” even while people are wrestling with their thoughts on vaccinations, masks, racial injustice, immigration, and the many other contentious issues we’re facing today. And it seems very holy and spiritually mature.
I’ve heard people say “just preach the gospel” in various forms and settings, and it makes me pause. I’ve wondered whether or not this was the route Christians should be taking. Essentially, this strategy is calling for Christians to remain silent, not speak up, and to only talk about Jesus and nothing else.
I wholeheartedly agree that we must not lose the forest for the trees as we engage in the controversial situations of our time. We must be diligent to keep Jesus at the center. After all, it should be him who is guiding the way we view any given topic in the first place. But that doesn’t mean that we should pretend to ignore these important and pressing issues.
I understand that this is so much easier said than done. We are actually seeing how difficult this can be, as even Christians are divided in many areas. But we can’t use Jesus as a reason to pretend the issues around us don’t exist. We can’t divorce Jesus from the conversation all together. If we truly believe Jesus is the Sovereign King who reigns in our lives, then he must be part of these conversations as difficult as they may be.
Jesus never shied away from the ugly, complex, and controversial aspects of humanity. He stepped into them. Jesus knows the world is broken, and he laid down his life to save it. But he hasn’t called us to disengage from the world, to be silent, and uninvolved until he returns. No. Jesus cares about our souls, but he also cares about how we live and the ways in which we reflect him to the world.
This means we care about the matters that bring suffering and pain. Rather than suggesting Jesus wouldn’t care about these things and neither should we, we should engage with the strength and light of Jesus in hand.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
