Why do we shake hands when we greet someone, give a hug or pass the peace in church? I think we do it because we want build bridges and bring down walls. They may seem like simple expressions, but they symbolize the blurring of boundaries and offer a tiny pathway to peace. If we can teach our children to connect with others without feeling uncomfortable, then there is hope for the world.
Accepting responsibility for connection and peaceful relations with others is always ours to choose. Recalling my high school English class, I am reminded that Shakespeare put these words into the mouth of Hamlet:
To be or not to be – that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And, by opposing, end them.
Christians in the 21st century are asking, “What does it mean to be a Christian? Am I a worshipper or a follower? Should I take charge, or be passive?”
I dare say that for many of us, being a Christian means gathering with like-minded folks for one hour in a week of 24 x 7 = 168 hours to have our neat and tidy lives confirmed by others under the watchful care of a God we hardly know. As we gather, we are painfully aware that most of the 6.8 billion people in the world are in trouble. 25 thousand human beings die of hunger every day, 5 thousand die of AIDS every day, 5 thousand children die of pneumonia, 4 thousand of TB, 3 thousand of Malaria every day.
For the past three days we have all had our hearts broken by the devastation caused by earthquakes in Haiti. Thousands have perished. Thousands are starving, thirsty, grieving, lost. This is the harsh reality of the world we live in.
Now we can sit in our living rooms and congratulate ourselves for being concerned. We can send donations. We can even get on a plane and fly to Haiti. These are great choices, but, as a young student of mine said to me yesterday, "If it doesn't come from the heart, then it doesn't mean as much." That resonated with me because, as an American, I feel a strong connection with a heritage that knows about sacrifice, courage and commitment.
To be the best we can be means having the courage of our convictions. I remember reading a story in one of John Maxwell's little books on leadership about a circuit preacher named Peter Cartwright who was preparing a sermon one Sunday when a well-meaning parishioner warned him that the President of the United States happened to be in attendance. The parishioner also suggested that sermon references and remarks should be kept inoffensive. During the sermon, Mr. Cartwright included the following message: “I have been told that the President of the U.S. is in this congregation. And I have been asked to guard my remarks. What I must say is this: even the president will go to hell if he does not repent of his sin.” After the service, the president faced Mr. Cartwright and said, “Sir, if I had a regiment of men like you, I could whip the world.” I dare say, with more people of courage, we could bring peace and an end to suffering in this fallen world.
Courage is the first step in breaking down the walls that separate us. So the real question is: what are the voices within us that wall off our courage? How can we bring down the walls of our own fears and reach out to others with sincerity, integrity and truth? The potential is there; make no mistake about it.
Seeking wholeness is not easy, but I learned early in my ministry as a teacher that ending a bad direction is never accomplished by looking outside myself. Wholeness, which includes courage, will not be found there. Searching without, all we do is skip from one quick fix to another, and no real change is made. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung put it this way: "Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." Jung understood that navigating through a sea of troubles means traveling inward, and he understood how necessary it is to confront and silence those voices that keep us from following our dreams.
Speaking of navigating through a sea of troubles, I am reminded that Jesus understood about boats. Many of his journeys involved travel by sea, in weather that was not always calm or clear. Jesus knew well that navigating inward requires a good compass. That compass is the Holy Spirit, the voice that comes from God and says you are my child, and in you I am well pleased. Jesus heard that voice and he is that voice.
Another name for Jesus is Emmanuel: God in us. When we make the inward journey, we will encounter Jesus. In fact, we cannot avoid him, for he promised to be in us to the end of the age. There in the darkest corners, he waits for us—to talk to us—to point the way—to excite us to live up to our potential, and to have the courage of our convictions.
There is a great poem by William Butler Yeats that begins,
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
(from The Second Coming)
This is utter chaos! Think about it: The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate conviction? Let’s face it: more and more these days it is the negative voices within us that speak with passionate intensity. They direct us to quick fixes, shallow responses and pretending. They tell us that we don’t need to fight for our rights; we don’t have a right to be upset; that our problems don’t really matter. They say, “Chill out, and wherever you go, don’t make waves. Don’t do something that will cause you to lose your head, your job, your possessions.”
Situations like the one happening in Haiti challenge us to find and use our true compass, one that points to who we really are and what we can do to bring peace and healing to a suffering world. We cannot solve every problem, but we can try. We begin by having the courage of our convictions. With that and an invitation to the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us, we can ignite our passion for life, truth, creativity and service to those in need.
