Reflecting on Current Events

What a week you've had, my fellow Americans.  And how very far away I feel from it all.  Yet, you are near to my heart. I am one of you.

It's moments like this when wordsmiths like me are out like mad on the web trying to make pithy statements or dazzling observations. Facebook lights up with soundbites and hashtags. All of us, trying to make sense of a world that seems senseless.

Knowing my words won't add anything new to the conversation, I can easily retreat to silence. But there is danger there, too. Because silence can communicate contentedness with the status quo, complicity with all that is wrong. So while I do not expect to add anything new, I must say something.

The first thing that I will say is that I am ignorant, which means that the best thing I can do is shut up and listen to those who are less ignorant than myself. As a white American, I have privileges and opportunities that I don't even realize I have. I cannot understand what it is like to be a minority. It's not that I don't want to understand. It's that I can't. So when I am tempted to spout off solutions or to claim that my experience is representative of another person's experience, I do not reveal my wisdom, I reveal my ignorance. This is not to say that I should not try to understand, but I must realize that I am only going to be able to achieve an intellectual level of understanding and not an experiential level.

At the intellectual level we can study statistics and trends, we can talk about "equality" and "opportunity." We can make laws and sign petitions and have debates. Even better, I can lean into my friendships with minority people in an effort to hear and learn from their experiences. I can stop listening only to the voices of those who sound like me and listen to the voices that challenge my paradigm. These voices may not change my mind, but they will expand my heart and help me to have compassion. And I need to really listen. Listen to understand, and not just to refute. I need to imagine the possibility that there are things I don't yet know, haven't yet encountered, or have wrongly dismissed. Such listening might open me up to a new perspective. It could help me to think more deeply and sincerely about the complexity of the problems. It could lead to better solutions.

Oh but that IS such hard work. And we live in a world that prefers quips and tweets. We're all looking for that one meme that is going to bottom-line it for us. Deep thinking is no longer valued. And, sadly, we evangelical Christians can be more about categorizing issues into black and white, right and wrong, than wrestling with complexities. Why do we do that?

Remember how angry Jesus would get at the Pharisees, who were tithing down to the tiniest cent while failing miserably at loving others? They were working so hard at being right that they failed to seek true righteousness. Mercy can't be measured, so it fell off their radar.

The second thing I will say is that  from a distance, at least, the United States appears to be a nation gripped by fear. Given the challenges and difficulties of life, fear is a natural human response. But fear is not a God-honoring response. Fear begets hate. I'm pretty sure that's why "Fear not" is the most repeated command in the Bible. But the inverse is also true--perfect love casts out fear. So if you really need a black and white barometer, why not use this one: "Am I being motivated by love or by fear?"

Fear, unchecked, will be the death of us. It is becoming the guiding force of political and social issues, and it is not healthy! Fear is at the heart of the gun debate. Fear is at the heart of the immigrant debate. Fear is at the heart of racism. Fear is at the heart of the bathroom debates, for heaven's sake! And fear is at the heart of the all the election rhetoric.

Look at the fear-mongering that goes on, particularly from Evangelical Christian leaders. On his own website, James Dobson defends his support of Trump by saying, "Hillary scares me to death." This is not good leadership, it isn't even Biblical, for he is rooting his decision in fear. Ben Carson, a man many of us respected, has said things like "Hillary is of the devil." And fear of Trump is worn like a badge of honor by, well, just about everyone. Both sides are trying to garner support for their candidate by painting the scariest picture of the other person. Fear. On all sides.

Let's not take our fear to the voting booth or the pulpit. Let's take our fear to Christ, confess it as sin, and ask for His wisdom and discernment to be our guides. Let's step back from the hysteria. Listen to the words of James chapter 3:

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Here we have a filter to determine if what we are doing or thinking is aligned with God's wisdom or not. Don't ask "Is it scary?" Ask "Is it pure (or is it impure)? Is it peaceable (or is it hostile)? Is is gentle (or is it harsh)? Is it reasonable (or is it rediculous)? Is it full of mercy (or is it cruel)? Is it unwavering (or is it faltering)? Is it without hypocrisy (or is it hypocritical)?" And then consider how you share your views. Are you sowing in peace (or are you sowing  in dissention)? And just an aside--there is not a single news station in the US that is NOT sowing dissention. So maybe turn off the TV and the radio and read more newspapers. Most are available online these days, and this access to the written word allows you to search out all sides of an issue while refusing to support the inflammatory, baiting, fear-mongering rubbish that permeates the airwaves. Try to find facts, and take time to think constructively about the facts that you find.

Let me end where I began. I am ignorant. But I also have the advantage of viewing things from outside the American arena--which offers a unique perspective. I have so much to learn, and the more I learn the more I realize how much I don't know. So I'm simply sharing what I think to be my best contribution to the important conversations that are swirling all around us. Two things I am committing to do: Listen more and fear less.

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The following are links to articles or books that I have found helpful. None of them are perfect, and I do not agree with everything that is found in them. But I do find that reading these things is helping me to understand the complexity of these issues, to think more deeply about solutions, and to consider what my best contribution might be. Believe it or not, there are a lot of very smart people of integrity on all sides of these issues.

Here is a link to a short article that explains why #AllLivesMatter may be an uninformed and unhelpful respose to #BlackLivesMatter.

Colleen Mitchell, a Catholic missionary in Costa Rica, speaks truth in her article, "10 Reasons Why I Don't Want to be You White Ally."

This is the best article I've read on why Trump is so popular with evangelicals.

I really appreciate this insightful article from a woman with a black son and a husband who is a white police officer.

If you haven't yet read The Same Kind of Different as Me, I highly recommend it. It's an easy but poignant book.

I was challenged by bell hooks' book Where We Stand: Class Matters. Some of her writing is inflammatory and she does not provide sufficient research to support her harsh judgements; however, I must admit that some of her claims ring with truth and have made me think twice about the ramifications of our consumerist culture and how consumerism is linked to racism and sexism. This book is hard for a white middle/upper class audience to read because it is highly critical. But if you read it, seek to leave room for conviction and try not to dismiss all of it just because some of it is over the top.

Another good book on consumerism is William T. Cavanaugh's book Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. 

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Leading and Following

Is everyone a leader?

I don't think so.

I think anyone can learn to lead, just like anyone can learn to play the piano. But even though I have had 12 years of formal piano training, I will NEVER be a gifted pianist. I can competently play some piano music, and it is a skill that I am willing to use if need be; however, it is not a gift. In the same way, I believe that people can go through leadership training, and be competent to lead if need be, but not everyone is a gifted leader.

I have been pondering these thoughts because David and I just completed a leadership training program that consisted of 5 3-day sessions every 6 months over 2.5 years. In the end, I suppose some participants grew in their leadership abilities; however, no one jumped from "competent leader" to "gifted leader." I don't think it can be done.

And while I believe it can be helpful for just about anyone to learn some basic leadership principals, I wonder why it seems that we push everyone to become a leader. If we all lead, who will follow?

Speaking of following--a separate but related topic--there is NO DOUBT that all of us are called at some point to be a follower; yet, no one seems to have Follower-ship Training Programs! Why is that? It certainly is not because we are all naturally good followers! Most of us have the follower-ship capacity of a cat--which is minimal to say the least. How can we better honor and learn from the gifted followers in our lives? I suppose it would be difficult to talk a gifted follower into leading a seminar!

In either case, it seems that leading and following cannot be fully separated from each other! Me? I am a leader. Some have called me a gifted leader. Leading is actually one of my best things. At the same time, I have come to realize that redemptive leadership flows from effective following; it is only by following Jesus that I can lead with any integrity, hope, or goodness at all.

But it took me some time to learn that most of the work of leadership goes unnoticed, uncelebrated, and unrecognized. Leadership is hard on the knees and involves a lot of foot-washing. Some leadership roles have room for vision, direction, and coordination. Most leadership roles require empowering, encouraging, and serving. All leadership roles demand humility and sacrifice.

Nevertheless, I have not done a lot of leading since I moved to France. I have done a lot of learning; a lot of listening; a lot of following. I have grown (happily) in my follower-ship skills, though not enough to be an expert! Through my many opportunities to follow I am beginning to see God's grace in this time of non-leading. Strangely, it is not through a leadership training program that my leadership skills have been enhanced over the past 2.5 years, but rather through accepting the role of a servant, through increased opportunities to humble myself, and through choosing to live in community.

All of that to say this: some may benefit from leadership training, but perhaps gifted leaders need to figure out how to follow if they want to make the most of their gift! 

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Soapbox

Ahem.

Please excuse me while I momentarily climb up on my soapbox.

To the Members of Congress:

In his speech on Tuesday the President commended you for passing the health care bill by saying, "Because each and every one of you made a decision that at a moment of such urgency, it was less important to measure what the polls said than to measure what was right." But aren't the polls a reflection of the will of the people? And weren't you elected to enact the will of the people? Why do you believe that you are better judges of what is right than the American people are? YOU work for us. It is not your job to determine what is best for us as a parent does for a child; it is your job to do what we ask you to do, like an employee does for a boss. I believe that in passing this bill, many of you have signed your own pink slips.


To the Media:

Oh, I have so many bones to pick with you! But for the time being I will stick with this one: Please get off of Tiger Woods' back. While I agree that his behavior as a husband has been deplorable, may I remind you that he isn't married to you? You have sensationalized, dramatized, and psycho-analyzed his behavior with such an undeniable air of condescension. I find this particularly hypocritical since most of what you broadcast over the public airwaves glamorizes infidelity in all its forms. So why, now, do you sit in a seat of judgement, feigning shock, all the while reveling in the stories that you can generate about this man, who, by self admission, is broken, contrite, and deeply sorry. You are so NOT my friend.

To the American Medical Association:

It has recently come to my attention that you are completely out of touch with the reality of life for the average American woman. While I appreciate the time and attention that you give to studying weight gain in middle-aged women (not!), your recent recommendation that we exercise an hour a day, seven days a week is completely unattainable. Newsflash! We have LIVES. I realize that there are those (Oprah comes to mind) who have both chef and personal trainer. They may be able to follow your prescribed standard. After all, if someone came to do my cooking I could, perhaps, find an hour a day for exercise. But I don't have a cook, nor a maid, nor a nanny, nor a gardener, nor a chauffer. And even if I did, I still WOULD NOT exercise for an hour a day, seven days a week. Even God only worked out six days in a row!

I am now stepping down off of my soapbox. Thank you for your attention.

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Loving the Olympics

I LOVE the Olympics. Truly I do. But may I just say that I find it very difficult to take a sport seriously when it has a key element called a "twizzle" section? This simply should not be. Other than my issue with the so-called "sport" of Ice Dancing, I have found myself completely captivated with all of the events in Vancouver. Biathlon? Awesome! Moguls? Sweeeeeet! Snow Board Cross? Cool! Speed Skating? Slick! I even like watching Curling. Half-Pipe totally rocks my world. And don't even get me started on the Alpine events! I'm addicted. I can't get enough. I have just one complaint. Why, oh why, when the Olympics are finally being held in my very own time zone must I watch tape-delayed events into the wee hours of the night? So. Not. Fair.

While our whole family has been glued to the T.V. since the Opening Ceremonies began, our lives have not been at a constant stand-still. Chandler is spending his afternoons in play rehearsals, having landed the role of Long John Silver in his school's production of Treasure Island. Graham is busy trying to get an audition for the Junior High Worship Band at church. David is planning our spring break trip to the French Consulate in San Francisco, where we all must go to apply for long-term visas. And I am preparing for a whirlwind fundraising tour of the great state of Texas which may require me to do a twizzle section of my own. Never a dull moment in the Williamson household.

Many thoughts are swirling for future blog topics, including Tiger Woods, Tarte aux Pomme, my latest crochet project, our still unaccounted-for Compassion child in Haiti, Bach on electric guitars, and Olympic Fashion Faux Pas. I'll probably choose the one that allows me to use the word "twizzle" the most.

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