*I originally wrote this back in July.
I was talking with Erika about whether the world is getting worse or does it seem worse because of all the media and everyone having cameras so everything gets caught. I personally think it's a little of both with more of the reason behind the possible media exposure. And with the media exposure sometimes some events get more attention than others and people get upset over that, "Well you supported 'Pray for X' why not 'Pray for Y'".
All of these events and the loss of life deserves attention and our prayers. But I think there's a danger in these events becoming a distraction from what is right in front of us. All of a sudden what is wrong with the world is "over there", "those people", "that country" has problems. And some of those notions are understandable. Bombs aren't going on everywhere and people aren't being run over by trucks everywhere. It's shocking. But, it's that subtle "Hey look over there" that can allow things nearby to fall apart.
I'm so excited for our new journey with Adore Ministries because we focus on the right here and right now. We focus on the people around us. We put value in the time spent with the person right in front of us, in our home, in our neighborhood, in our schools and community.
I bring this up because an advantage of being in ministry is you get to see behind the white picket fences, behind the house walls, and see what Screwtape likes to take people's attention from and cause non action and what moving trucks are reeking havoc in our lives. This past week I was at Life Teen Camp Covecrest with some teens we brought. It is here, at the one location at camp where you can catch wifi, while checking Instagram that I found out about Nice. It was a great week as always. But something happened on our last day that broke my heart. They brought up some teens to share what they had experienced during the week. Teens shared how they met God for the first time, how they were able to get back on track with the prayer, etc. But one girl particularly made me think. She shared how about a year ago she was at camp and had a great experience. Yet, during the school year someone bought a bottle of Tylenol, brought it to school, gave it to her, and told her she should swallow the whole bottle. She did. That night she was brought to the hospital. She survived. This week, she needed God to show up. He did, and she built a new community that week to go home with and knows now that she does not need to be controlled by others that obviously don't love her.
No bombs, no moving trucks, no police violence, but look at the ways we destroy the people around us. Sarcasm, ignoring the lonely, not forgiving, not spending time, gossip, being judgemental, holding grudges, tearing each other down, etc. They aren't quick kills, but they only lead to death, nothing else. Maybe not always death of the body but definitely death of the spirit of a person.
So yes, let's pay attention to what is going on in the world around us. But, don't forget to take care of those around us. And as we examine how we got to bombs, trucks, and police shootings, let's examine ourselves to see how we are loving or not.
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