I’m not ok with what’s happening in Iran. And it’s not just that…
I’m not ok with how quickly we pick sides and how slowly we choose humility. I’m also not ok with political partisans elevating themselves while denouncing all others, declaring “we’re right” but never asking “what if we’re not?”
I’m not ok with the fringe setting the tone. I’m also not ok with calling it out on one side and excusing it on the other.
I’m not ok with reckless rhetoric and behavior from leaders. I’m not ok with Donald Trump saying a “whole civilization will die tonight.” I’m also not ok with Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal if it contributed to today’s instability.
I’m not ok with how much we spend abroad while problems persist at home. I’m also not ok with pretending the world’s problems are simple—or that ignoring them makes them go away.
I’m not ok with a government that spends endlessly without a plan to become more fiscally responsible. I’m also not ok with pretending only one side is responsible.
I’m not ok with supercilious speech from any president or politician.
I’m not ok with resisting basic ID requirements in voting. I’m also not ok with assuming fraud whenever outcomes don’t go our way.
I’m not ok with illegal immigration. I’m also not ok with demonizing ICE agents nor assuming all who cross the border illegally are demons.
I’m not ok with treating abortion as a blasé form of birth control. I’m also not ok with a lack of compassion for those facing unwanted pregnancies.
I’m not ok with refusing any limits on guns. I’m also not ok with pretending the answer is taking them all away.
I’m not ok with thinking humans can dictate gender. I’m also not ok with demeaning any person of any gender, knowing all are made in the image of God.
I’m not ok with inflation squeezing families. I’m also not ok with solutions that ignore either responsibility or compassion.
I’m not ok with the rising cost of healthcare. I’m also not ok with the logic that it can be fixed simply by taxing those who have more.
I’m not ok with expecting nothing or caring nothing for people.
I’m not ok with the worship of capitalism. I’m also not ok with socialism and Marxism.
I’m not ok with spin replacing honesty.
I’m not ok with how we treat each other online—how easily we make judgments absent authentic conversation. I’m also not ok with the belief that there’s only one right way to think and that I’ve somehow found it.
I’m not ok with omitting God. I’m also not ok with looking down on those who do.
Let us, no less, define then what “I’m not ok” actually means…
“I’m not ok” doesn’t mean I’m angry at the world, at my wits’ end nor near any proverbial breaking point. It means something doesn’t sit right. It means I don’t trust myself—or any party, person, leader or system—to have all the answers.
And maybe that’s the point.
The more I see what I’m not ok with, it pushes me to trust God more…
To trust that his wisdom is greater than mine. That his understanding is deeper than ours. That his way of calling us to treat one another—with care, compassion and uncompromising respect—is always the better way.
There’s a lot I’m not ok with.
But that? Trusting God more than myself? Treating others as he calls us to?
I’m ok with that.
Respectfully…
AR