Renewing a Right Spirit Amid Chaos

If I could describe today’s world in one word, it would be “chaos”.  There is no doubt we are living in a world that has lost all sanity. Unprecedented times are upon our doorstep, and with this comes extreme emotions. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past several months, you should be well aware of the current events and the movements that are taking our world by storm. The police brutality, the racial strife, groups promoting hate, racism, and destruction. However, the way this battle is being fought is leading us nowhere. What has this come to and more importantly, where will it all lead?

Then there is the dreaded virus. We all have been affected by the global pandemic in one way or another. Whether it be ourselves or someone we know, we’ve all witnessed this virus sweep throughout our world with a vengeance, damaging health, taking lives, crippling our economy, shutting down our schools and our churches, and taking away jobs from upwards to 40 million people, by the last count. For some, life came to a screeching halt at the face of this giant. It has hit close to home for those who have had to watch in horror as a loved one suffered, or even worse, passed away alone, with nothing anyone could do to stop it. Maybe you were that person who suffered and by the grace of God you came out on the other side. I venture to say many won’t take this virus seriously until they have met it face to face.

My home state of Indiana has recently mandated that masks are to be worn in public places. This has caused quite a commotion from people on both sides of this issue. I, like many others, am not thrilled to have to wear a mask when out and about. I feel smothered, hot, and sweaty. I can feel my hot breath against my face as my glasses fog, my anxiety levels rise, and I feel panicky. The struggle is real. To say “I get it” is an understatement, but then I stop and think, in all honesty, how spoiled we are as a nation when we can complain so freely about the smallest inconvenience? First world problems, right? I will do my part to stand behind the most recent mandates. More importantly, I will pray for our leaders, our President, our mayors, our governors, our elected officials, our pastors, our administrators, our bosses… the list goes on and on.

Why do I pray for our leadership and stand in submission? Because the Bible tells us to do so. Romans 13 states that if you refuse to obey the law of the land, you are refusing to obey God. That becomes very serious rather quickly. Obedience is key, and we see that all throughout scripture. Why is it so important? Because without obedience the spirit of rebellion creeps in. It becomes dangerous to both our physical and spiritual well being. I stand in obedience because God commands it. I will do my part, whatever is asked of me, all the while, understanding that they have my best interest at heart. 

I know that there are those that feel that this virus is just a huge political mind game with a sinister agenda behind every mandate, restriction, and decision.  I will say this, I’m not naïve to that potential, but even if it is true, should it change the way I am supposed to respond? I believe it matters what I do with my current circumstances, with the hand that I am dealt. I go forward with the information I have. Not by men’s word, but by God’s word. I need to line up with scripture when it comes to my attitude and my perspective,in everything that I do!  

I would certainly not want to be the president, the governor, or anyone in leadership that has the burden to make the calls that move us forward in these unprecedented times we find ourselves living in. Honestly, they can’t please everyone. No matter what decisions they make, someone will be unhappy. If they don’t mandate restrictions, they are accused of killing people and not caring enough about our lives. If they do mandate restrictions, they are infringing on our rights and trying to take away our liberties and freedoms.  Either way, it’s a lose-lose. They can’t do their jobs decent enough for even one day to please the masses. They need our prayers, no matter where you stand on the current issues. They need prayers for wisdom and guidance. They are swimming through uncharted waters. Our prayers will go further and do so much more than the ugly social media posts, memes, and name-calling. This is where maturity and wisdom go hand-in-hand. 

As someone who has a lot of empathy for the downtrodden in society, I have often struggled with the high emotions of today’s world. I feel like a sponge and the heaviness can make it hard to breathe at times. I love people. And when I see the hate being spewed from every direction, it hurts my heart. But this hurt has opened some windows of knowledge for me. 

During times of uncertainty, and especially when emotions and opinions are running high, it is so important to keep your spirit, mind, and heart in check. It is so easy to get caught up in all the emotionalism and act in the moment on that feeling. We are angry and upset about the things going on in our world and our personal lives, so we want a quick and painless emotional release. We want to be heard. We need validation from others. We need to get a load off our chest, if you will. So where do we go? Good Ol’ Facebook! We get on our soapboxes and let her rip! And we feel pretty good about the opportunity we created for getting our two cents out there (be careful with that, I hear there is a coin shortage) and we wait for that validation to come—the fun “ye haws!” and those sweet “Atta boys!” I know because I have been there myself. I’ve been there, but my spirit wasn’t right. I was not in check. I was acting out in the flesh. I was emotional. I was tired and I wanted my opinion to matter to someone.

Social media is our safety net for saying whatever we are feeling in our emotional state, without consequences. What we type on a social media post, we would likely never say to a person’s face. Why do we behave as if it’s okay to release vile, crude, and hurtful messages on social media? I know that there is a certain level of anonymity behind the screen, but as I am typing this, I’m reminded of Paul’s plea in 1^st Corinthians 10:31: 

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God.  (emphasis added)

It doesn’t say whatever you do, except posting on social media, nor does it say do it all for the glory of God except all those retweets or memes you posted. I believe the Bible is very explicit when it states, “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”. 

I want to have the right spirit about me. The spirit of rebellion runs deep in all our lives, especially as Americans. I mean, this country was founded on rebellion. Moreover, that rebellious spirit runs deep in our human nature, as well. Since sin was first introduced to the world through Adam and Eve, we’ve been in rebellion against God. I thank God for his mercy and grace every day because of this. I’m a sinner in need of his mercy, in need of his grace. I’m so thankful that He had a plan for redemption for my soul, for all of us. Let’s face it, we can’t do this without Him. I don’t want to give in to the negative, rebellious, hateful, you name it, spirit that is infiltrating our world currently. I don’t want to behave as if no one else matters because it’s all about me, myself, and I. It’s all about my right to choose my own actions. Society is so caught up in this “me and my way” movement that we become blind to the spirits that come with it. Where does this rebellious spirit stop once it starts? It infiltrates our homes. Our families. Our jobs. Our churches. Do we even realize that it has slipped in? The devil sure is sly, isn’t he? I want to make sure that it doesn’t do this, and the way I make that happen is me! I choose to follow what the Bible teaches, no matter how unpopular the opinion is. 

Even in the madness, I know God is in control. He is trying to teach me how to let Him order my thoughts and my steps. I know that without my spirit in check, I will fail to get to where I need to be. They say crazy things like global pandemics or tragedy bring out the true character of people. When you must face something head-on and unexpectedly, you don’t have time to fake who you are. You don’t have a chance to plan strategically. And so, we see both ugliness and beauty radiating everywhere we look. A good time to pay attention, I suppose. Of course, fear brings out a side we may not know we had. I can understand that, too. But at some point, we have got to get back to that right spirit we are commanded by God to have. In the end, that is what will sustain us, that is what will carry us through, and ultimately that is what will save us.