Jan 14th
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
The Bishop of the Florida Conference of the UMC referenced this scripture when he made a video reflecting on the events that happened at the capitol. If you want to watch it let me know. I’ll send you a link.
He talked about how God separated light from darkness and how as Christians we also have that responsibility. As much as I don’t like it, eventually we have to choose sides.
I enjoy playing both sides, learning from each other, keeping an open mind, but I also know the truth.
The truth is that there are situations where it is black and white. There are times when you have to separate the light from the darkness. Sometimes you have to call out evil when you see it. Sometimes you have to pick a side and stand up for what you believe. That doesn’t always mean you’re right. So keep an open mind.
You know what changed my perspective forever? The movie “Us.”
Spoiler Alert
The premise of the movie is that you are rooting for the wrong person the entire time and you have no idea that’s the case until the end of the movie. That thought is always lingering in my mind. Even when I am convinced that I am right. Even when I make public statements about politics. It’s a lingering thought. Because truth is, that we don’t know the full truth. But that’s the difficulty of life. We must choose sides. Sometimes it is black and white. We must separate light from darkness.
At the same time what do we do with the possibility that we could be wrong? Take the election for example. We have no idea if it was stolen. My money is on that it wasn’t. But why? Because I think another administration is better for our country? Or because I trust our democracy? I share that just to say that even though I made that statement about Trump, that doesn’t mean that I could not be wrong.
That’s why we listen to each other. That’s why we talk. That’s why we keep learning. And at the same time we stand up for what we believe is right. And I believe that what’s right is non-violence, anti-racism, inclusion, love, acceptance, and a whole list of other views we can talk about some time.
Long story short-We must separate light from darkness. But we are not God.
So keep learning.