I have something in common with that great American hero, Forest Gump. “I’m not a smart man.” I read and listen to incredibly bright commentators and political activists who have a far greater understanding of the state of our nation than I do. They seem to have a grasp of all of the complex issues, the nuances of both political parties, and many of them have pretty good answers about what we should do next. Me…not so much.
The divide seems so great. The animosity and vitriol, so deep. The opinions, not on the solutions but on what the problems are, so far apart that it befuddles me whenever I listen to a newscast or a national address. Me and Forest are just alike. “I’m not a smart man.”
So when I’m really lost and confused, I just go back to somebody who was really smart. He understood political divide. He was familiar with issues of morality, ethics, and honesty. He had some pretty good advice on governmental authority, protection of the weakest, and the proper use of the military. He said things like, “Before a ruler goes to war, he should count the cost.” He said, “Pay taxes to the one to whom taxes are due.” And He famously said that our job was to take care of the “least of these.”
Maybe His best and most important advice is found in the passage of scripture that is the Lenten passage for today. The whole reading is John 15:12-27. Some of it is a little bit disconcerting. He says we shouldn’t be surprised when the world hates us. He reminds us that they didn’t listen to Him, so they probably won’t listen to us. He even says it was predicted a long time ago that they (the world) would hate Him and us. Now those are some encouraging thoughts. Yet, in spite of all that, in fact, because of all that, He says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” I’m not a smart man, but that seems pretty hard to do.
Here are some things that help me with it:
- I choose not to make someone who disagrees with me my enemy.
- I remind myself that nobody has a corner on all understanding.
- I don’t fight fire with fire or hate with hate.
- I remember that my identity is not based on Facebook responses but on MY response to Him.
- And, I keep in mind (a lot) that this world is not my home. I will work to make it better. I will try to help as many people as I can here on earth. But I’m not planning on being here forever. I am transitory.
So while all those people who are smarter than me figure out how to change the state of the union, I will keep working on changing me. Thomas a’ Kempis, another smart guy, said, “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” I have my hands full with this “love others” thing. I hardly have the mental capacity or emotional energy to get all riled up about the nightly news. I am going to do my best to understand what it would really look like if I started to do this one simple command, “Love one another.” If I try hard enough, someday I might be just like Forest Gump. I’ll be able to finish that statement he made. “I’m not a smart man, but I do know what love is.”
(just for the fun of it, you can watch the clip here 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMmgZA5nlrE