June 1
DebDay 79: Surrounded by Deep Waters
This past week has really been something to behold. An unarmed man is mercilessly killed by police in Minneapolis. Resultant protests turn into violent riots that continue on, across the nation and in several other countries.
Closer to home, late last week the UA system announced that UAS is potentially if not clearly on the chopping block. Yesterday we see a 20+ spike in Covid positives here in Alaska.
And the various attempts to spin the above will not end anytime soon. Depending on one's political persuasion, the news will be interpreted by one's agenda.
Aren't you exhausted by all this? I am.
Over this past weekend I carried a profound sadness. As I tried to articulate the "why's" to myself, I didn't really find success.
A few days ago, a manned rocket left earth and went out into space. And I bet most of humanity wishes they were on that flight. Anything to escape our world's dysfunction.
There is probably not enough room on those space flights for all of us. So the majority of non-passengers will instead look for ways to self-medicate. A broken response to a broken place.
Sure, we believe our world is broken, and in need of redemption and repair.
Our own brokenness is evidenced in our individual and collective desire to find someone to blame. China? The other political party? Anarchists? White privilege?University Presidents?
All of us want to cast blame. But blame-casting doesn't redeem or repair anything. Never has. We're still seemingly surrounded by bad news.
And the worst part of all this? The fear that things may not ever get better. Despair = Discouragement without hope.
Sometimes, knowing/believing something does not align with feeling the same. Sometimes, our heads and our hearts have disagreements.
But God's people through the ages have had this going for them...God.
Psalm 69:1-3 articulates this better than I can myself. "Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God."
3 Observations:
1) It's appropriate to acknowledge the obvious. Things in our world are not good. It's okay to be discouraged by what we see, read and experience.
2) The psalm writer also acknowledges his bad news fatigue. The struggle is real, and he's real tired of it all.
3) We still have hope. More so, we have a Great God as the source and object of our hope.
I am choosing to cry out to Jesus today. I choose to do this, because I have no other options.
I will cry out, even if it results in a parched throat.
I will cry out, even if the flood waters don't subside for a while.
-Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau
