In Time.
Celebrations are beautiful moments to remember God’s blessings and goodness and to experience beauty and happiness. This past weekend I had the privilege of celebrating the marriage of a friend and reunite with other dear friends.
These were moments of laughter. Honor. Hope.
At the same time I was well aware of hurt and injustice around the world.
Celebrations are beautiful moments to remember God’s blessings and goodness and to experience beauty and happiness. This past weekend I had the privilege of celebrating the marriage of a friend and reunite with other dear friends.
These were moments of laughter. Honor. Hope.
At the same time I was well aware of hurt and injustice around the world.
“…a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)
The presiding pastor spokes these words from Ecclesiastes to the bride and groom for their future. It was also a timely reminder for the audience to fully step into a time of celebration and to laugh and dance without shame. However, the wedding and reception weekend soon ended and we are faced with the realities of injustice and pain.
It has become difficult to comprehend the suffering that we see and hear daily. The task becomes overwhelming when I consider my own frailties, the needs of the people I love, and then consider my neighbors and those around the world.
Death of Family
Betrayal and Loss
Genocide and refugee camps
Mental Illness
Social Injustice
Theft and Invasion of Property
What should be my response?
Do I quote movies and post clips of a beloved movie actor?
Do I post provocative articles and photos?
Do I participate in fundraising campaigns?
Do I grow fearful about the future?
Do I do or say nothing?
The struggle against injustice has been fought for millennia around the word. The ugly imbalance of power and hopelessness often reveals itself in grotesque ways by its perpetrators. This world is broken and will only be made fully right through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. And yet, what are we to do in the “now”? I’m reminded of a quote that Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
The task is overwhelming. Where do we start?
We worship the triune Creator of the universe.
The prophet Micah spoke the following words to the Israelites as they sought to know what to give and do for God. God doesn’t seek gifts of material wealth but worship through faithful stewardship and a life bent towards Him and others:
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)
We intercede diligently on behalf of those with a silent voice.
We obey the Spirit’s guidance in our lives and spheres of influence to act.
My full-time job is at a faith-based organization that focuses on education in urban neighborhoods in Memphis. Education in the US is considered a justice issue because it stratifies the future of children in this nation, often based on socioeconomic status and location. Many teachers have chosen to enter this profession as a vocational response to the gospel mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves by providing an excellent, rich education for children in high-poverty, under-resourced neighborhoods.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Regardless of how we respond to the need and atrocities in our communities and around the world:
- We cannot be lazy, although we will become tired.
- We must humbly remember God’s redemption of our own stories, hoping and praying for the redemption of others.
- We must love always, in our actions and our words.
Let dismay about current events embolden our faith.
May we understand God’s desire for justice and reconciliation of creation to Himself, maintaining focus and clarity on our personal call, while praying constantly for others.
And in time…may the weeping end, may hope be ever present, and may there be dancing again.
Christy McFarland
Christy currently serves as the Director of Public Affairs at Crichton College in Memphis, Tennessee. Crichton is a Christian, liberal arts college committed to equipping students to think critically, grow spiritually, and change their world. Prior to moving to Memphis, Christy served as the Minister of Local Outreach and Assistant Minister to Singles at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas, Texas. She is a graduate of Rhodes College and Dallas Theological Seminary. Christy’s passion is to see individuals encouraged and equipped to fully live and exploit their unique calling, gifts, and talents, thus, allowing the Church be a strong, incarnational, evangelical presence within the local and global communities. She has a twin brother who serves as a missionary in Europe and a younger brother who lives in Dallas, Texas with his new wife (a match for which Christy claims full responsibility). Her mother and step-father live in Memphis, Tennessee and father and step-mother live in Quebec City, Quebec.
