Politics. Politics everywhere. Every second post on social media is political commentary, almost every second on your news outlet of choice is political analysis and debate. Odds are that every conversation that lasts longer than ten minutes somehow touches on Trump, immigration, and the vast whirlpool of our politically frantic American milieu.
Is this what it means to be an adult? With the inception of the smartphone and media that tailors itself to tell us what we want, our dialogue has transformed from a crowd listening to those on stage express their opinions into everyone in the crowd shouting their own opinions. Add to that the functional relativism that our society operates in and you have a recipe for everyone assuming their viewpoint is the most valid.
Without belief in an absolute truth there can be no such thing as effective dialogue. When there is no compass to point to true north, more information about our ship or opinions about its leadership won’t help us navigate back to harbor.
Even a thousand articles on what Jesus would do, what the scriptures command, and whether a “true Christian” would think or do this or that aren’t helpful. We’ve substituted a passion for more information and being correct for the over-arching great command of love. When more information and more opinion becomes a means of division we must carefully evaluate what we’re doing. The devil’s delight is to use politics (or anything else) as a means of keeping us from living in love.
Obsession with politics is a distraction from the Christ-follower’s true mission. Jesus never commanded us to make sure that the country we live in operates on Christian principles, and history shows that the Gospel is at its most powerful when it’s planted in the midst of a culture that it deeply contradicts. Don’t hear me saying that we shouldn’t advocate for Christian principles in our country – we absolutely should since we’ve been blessed with a political system that allows us to have a say. What we must not do is be more vocal about our political opinions than we are about the beauty of Jesus and his glorious Gospel. If your social media posts and face to face discussions are more filled with commentary on immigration, the supreme court, or even your most recent favorite kitten video than they are with Christ and him crucified, isn’t it time to step back and reorient towards the true center of the universe? That center isn’t America. It’s not the republican or democratic parties. It’s not your opinion. It’s not this wild-ride news cycle. It’s not even the painful brokenness and loneliness of immigrants stuck in limbo.
The center of the universe has always been and always will be the one who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. By him all things were created, both in heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities (don’t forget that!) – all things have been created through him and for Him (don’t forget that either!). He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (the world isn’t falling apart, even if it seems like it!). He is the head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will have first place in everything. (Col. 1:15-18).
Let’s give Jesus first place in everything. JESUS – not commentary on what Jesus would or wouldn’t do in a certain situation – but Jesus himself as the one who is in and through and over all.
One of the most effective ways to let Jesus shine through in this world of self-expression? Listen more than you speak. Don’t insist on justifying yourself. Practice the power of self-restraint and silence that Jesus demonstrated before the sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate. James suggests it in his epistle when he writes, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak…If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” (James 1:19, 26). The writer of Proverbs said something similar long before, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion,” and, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” (Proverbs 18:2, 10:19). As we move towards another round of elections, let’s listen well and speak with more eloquence about the goodness of God than about how government should operate.
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