How to Process World Events

We are experiencing an unprecedented time of rapid change. These are times of war and upheaval. Starting with the death of NBA star, Kobe Bryant in January of 2020, the pandemic, the death of George Floyd, and a contentious election, we've been experiencing event after event of national and international upheaval. The events all over the world are no longer distant. They are happening in our nation as well. 

People are pushing for all sorts of social changes and not asking the right questions in the process. They just insist on change. People are judging one another over every issue — whether they are connected to them personally or not. Everyone is required to have a position on everything. And our stance must agree with the majority opinion. And even if our opinions are acceptable, we must keep adjusting them to be in step with the majority opinion when it changes, or we risk being out of step and judged unacceptable.

As a result, people have begun to associate everything that happens in the world to themselves, even if we are not directly involved as individuals. With war in Ukraine, people are experiencing fatigue and sadness even when they have no direct connection with the people of Ukraine. But we are told over and over again that we stand with them, so we have to feel something personally. However, there are some that say that it is self-indulgent to feel trauma about this war when we aren't experiencing it ourselves. So, we are stuck in a constant stream of judgment and shame.

People say on one hand that certain people ought to self-flagellate themselves in order to effect change. And yet they say that self-flagellation is wrong. People believe that politics are the solution to change. But they also say that only politics they agree with are the solution. People say that to end racial disparities we must overturn those disparities. And yet we must do this by segregating the races. There's a lot of judgment going on, but not a lot of understanding. 

Jesus already anticipated that people will react this way. He let his disciples know that troubling times will always come. And they will need to prepare their minds for them, otherwise they too will get swept up in bad thinking and wrong conclusions.

In Matthew 24:1-14 Jesus said a few things we would do well to apply ourselves.

1. Don't get fooled by false saviors. (v. 4-5, 11) There will be people who come along to offer themselves or their ideas as the answer to the worlds problems. (Some may even claim to come from God.) But we are not to believe them. No one has the answers but Jesus. The reason for this is because the world's problems are within mankind, not outside of mankind. People don't get along because they are ruined and are not living according to their intended design. They deny God, so they are distant from God. Jesus has the only acceptable answer to the problem. He came to be the only offer God would accept to redeem mankind and bring them close.
2. Turmoil is a given, so don't be alarmed. (v. 6-8) Why not? The end is going to come when God says so. All things are under God's control. Nothing is out of His control or out of His sovereign will. It all serves a purpose, and we can be assured He's got this. Anyway, we aren't created with the ability to know all, or be all-powerful. So, we are dependent on God whether we realize it or not. So, why worry? (Matthew 6:25-34) Or better yet, why feel required to have a position on everything?
3. Many people will not like followers of Jesus. (v.9-13) This can be a hard one to swallow. We all want to be liked. We all want to be respected — especially for doing right. But people won't like us because we remind them that they are under God's judgment. The whole world is in denial. So it insists the problems reside in "others" who aren't like them. They hold their own standards of righteousness and demand everyone adhere to them so they feel good about themselves. That's why "likes" and consensus are so important. They have no standard of righteousness higher than themselves. Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we need to set our minds correctly rather than give in to culture (as some do). It's better to find our respect, and honor, from God because that is all that truly matters.
4. No matter what, the Gospel (good news about Jesus) will spread all over the world. (v. 14) Instead of focusing on all the turmoil, remember that we have one mission in this world. And we will accomplish it because God is with us. Even if we falter, it will be accomplished. Why not enjoy the journey by joining in the work, rather than being mired in despair, anxiety, and hopelessness? But even if we suffer in this way, we are still blessed, because God loves us greatly and He will be close to us when we come close to Him. (James 4:7-10)

If we are in Jesus, our guilt and shame has been taken care of. Even though the world is tangled in despair, we no longer have a problem. For the world is weighed down with guilt and shame. And they think the answer is to eliminate all judgment. And yet they judge anyone who makes them feel judged.