Let’s focus on a statement posed in a recent post. First, however, note the following current news reports…
“With a presidential election just six months away, Americans appear deeply divided over the role the United States should play in the world, according to an opinion survey by the Pew Research Center. ‘Considerable apprehension and concern’ are the words researchers used to describe the mood of the American public regarding how the country fits into the current world order.”
Or this one…
“The people of Chicago are deeply riven by race, class and neighborhood, distrustful of the police, fearful of the growing rate of violent crime and united chiefly in their disapproval of the mayor’s performance and their conviction that the city is headed down the wrong track.”
Or even notes taken from a scant scan of the headlines:
“Parties Nearly Conquered — and Deeply Divided”
“Texas Republicans Divided On Support For Trump”
“A Divided Democratic Party”
Fascinatingly, unfortunately, one word stands out: “divided.”
Fascinatingly, unfortunately, one phrase stands out: “deeply divided.”
Yes, the division is deep.
So what do we do?
Last week, the Intramuralist posed the idea that “the American political system will remain broken as long as there remain too many people who refuse to humble themselves, pray, and love their neighbor more than self.”
Let me edit that slightly for the purposes of today’s post…
Americans will remain deeply divided as long as there remain too many people who refuse to humble themselves, pray, and love their neighbor more than self.
Let me also be clear; each of those three steps is vital. We must one, humble ourselves; two, pray (acknowledging there exists a Divinity far greater than “me”); and three, love our neighbor just as much or more than we love and look out for own interests and well being.
But here’s the problem: too many of us only do one or two of the three. For example, I may pray consistently and love my neighbor fairly empathetically, but if when it comes to humility, I only see the need for the humbling of another, then I really don’t understand the step.
Or when I pray, if I’m always praying for the “other guy” to repent or finally come to his senses and my attention is focused upon the growth or sharpening that someone else desperately needs, well then, I wonder how God works with that. Each of us, friends, will always be in need of growth and sharpening.
Humility and prayer are the ways we grow. Loving others well is a manifestation of that growth. That’s why all three steps are necessary.
It’s also why without each of the three steps, the deep division may not-so-fascinatingly, unfortunately, only increase.
Respectfully…
AR