As the situation here becomes more… complicated, I have come to realize the importance and power of connection. Being connected to the community not only provides a level of security, it also humanizes a very sensationalized situation. It is weird to watch the global news channel and realize hey, that’s like 10 minutes from my house. When local news and global news are the same, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and commotion. It’s tempting to take sides and point fingers.
The frustration and sadness of
the situation is so evident here. The fighting affects the lives of human beings. Everyone suffers. Both sides experience loss
and shame. The injustice is difficult to watch. It is especially difficult to
see the role of religion in the midst of the conflict. As groups fight over
religious sites, people die. As they taunt each other, innocents suffer. As the
violence continues, the religious become fanatics. It is chilling to watch
people become so deceived by ideologies that they will take their own life or
the lives of others. To watch human beings kill each other is heart wrenching.
The other day I was walking past
the church near my house and I saw these words written with black spray paint on
the church’s wall: “Fight the Evil.”
How profound. These three words go beyond blaming. They reach past the human beings involved in the situation here and into the
heart of the problem: EVIL.
Fight The Evil.
Fight the hatred that builds walls. Fight the fanaticism that leads to
violence. Fight the blaming that breeds resentment. Fight the injustice that
causes suffering. Fight the judgment that empowers pride.
I don’t know how this fight looks in every context, but I
know those words—written on the wall of that beautiful church—are the key to
changing the dysfunction in our world. “For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of
this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”
(Ephesians 6:12).
We all face hate, extremism, blame, injustice, and judgment
everyday. Don’t let it take over. Don’t be unknowingly defeated by these
subtle, cruel symptoms of our corrupt, diseased world. FIGHT THE EVIL.
