Hear Me Out

It’s exhausting, Jesus. Sometimes, it’s just tiresome and exhausting.

Read the news, Jesus. Hurricanes, typhoons, floods, earthquakes. It seems like the earth’s angry. And why not. We don’t seem to be taking care of it any better than we take care of each other.

There’s war, Jesus, and threats of war. Not just nations fighting each other, either. Violence and conflict between individuals is everywhere. If it’s not physical, it’s verbal. The angry back and forth when people don’t agree, attacking people personally when we don’t like their ideas, saying whatever we want without any consideration or filter because we’re entitled to do so. People are persecuted. There’s hate. And bigotry. 

There’s disease, plagues and famine. People are sick and hungry and we could do more about that, but it costs money and where’s the profit? The rich are getting richer and poor even more so. Or dying. So many people are dying that it’s not “news” any more. One or two here, a dozen there, hundreds or thousands over there.

It’s exhausting, Jesus. Some days it feels like we’re in the End Times, Jesus, practically a biblical apocalypse. Kind of like you describe. (Luke 21:5-19)

Don’t be afraid, says Jesus. God is with you. “By your endurance you will gain your souls”

Yeah. That’s good to know, Jesus. And I know that should be enough because you’re Jesus and all, but sometimes you can be a little dark and we could use a little something more.

Let’s talk about it then, I imagine Jesus might say. Look at Isaiah. (We like Isaiah, not just for all his prophecies we think are about Jesus, but also because, for all the destruction and suffering that Isaiah prophesied, there are great words of hope and descriptions of what amazing things God is doing to create a better world.)

“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth,” God says through Isaiah. Im creating a world where there’ll be no more crying, no more distress, people will have homes and food and live long happy lives. It’s going to be different. Everyone and everything will get along and there’ll be peace. (Isaiah 65:17-25)

And the important part to notice there, Jesus might say, is that Isaiah says God is creating. Is, not just did or will, but is. We’re on the way there, but it’s a process. It’s a journey and we’re on the way.

There is light in the shadows, there’s good at work around the evil, look for it, be inspired by it and be it, Jesus might say. It’s a journey and there are challenges to walking the Good Road. That’s what I’m trying to show you, Jesus might say, a life that you can live true the divine spirit that’s in you, just like me, that creates good, that shares good, and makes a good world.

It’s still exhausting, sometimes. Let’s do it together.