One of New Vocabulary Lessons
I didn’t know calling someone a Karen was an insult.
Karen?
I do now. (And I am sad because I’ve had good friends and family named Karen and they were not evil people!) But, it’s not a new phenomenon, making snarky comments about another person’s outrageous words or actions.
He may look like an idiot, and he may sound like an idiot, but don’t let him fool you. He really is an idiot. — Groucho Marx
Maybe we’ve reached a point in history where calling people a jerk just doesn’t begin to convey our outage at their outrageous conduct.
Not that insults could solve the problem of people behaving badly. Nor, will a lecture, even if I could make one.
Prayer just might, though. (Matthew 5:44)
These Recent Lessons show the need for consistent prayer
My prayers need all the help they can get. While some of the Imprecatory Psalms are satisfying, a friend shared the best pattern: God, be as merciful to them, as you have been to me.
How I pray for people and situations I cannot control is better hemmed in with gratitude than gripping.
Who knew Mark Twain’s choice words could show me how to pray for leaders I don’t like or trust:
You take the lies out of him, and he’ll shrink to the size of your hat; you take the malice out of him, and he’ll disappear.
And maybe, I could ask God, take the lies out of me and the malice, too.
How are you learning to pray for your enemies and loved ones?
I ask, because we are coming up on the Fourth of July.
In these past few weeks, I’ve learned more about the warts on our national character that we have ignored; even for all the good America has done and shared. What’s to celebrate?
In the aftermath of so much upsetting news, another dear old friend, Ruth Burge, had the nicest way of saying Get a Grip, America!
Every hero we have every admired or honored has feet of clay and has his own inconsistencies, blind spots, and sin problems. This is true of religious leaders, missionaries, politicians, public servants, and also, I might add, you and me. If we don’t begin to understand this, we might as well take down all statues of people we have honored right now and cease our practice of honoring people who have done well in various ways. We might also do well to understand that cultures of different time periods have had their blind spots, and that includes the present day. This does not mean we can’t thank God for and honor people who have made meaningful contributions to our country, our world, and our society even if they were flawed people. We must just not put our ultimate hope in them.
Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. (ESV)
Psalm 118:8–9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. [9] It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes. (ESV)
Hope you have a happy Fourth of July — it sure will be different this year!
Even though these weeks have been filled with hard lessons, I am grateful to be an American . . .Grateful because here I am free to worship God, serve Him, and be useful. Don’t let me blow the opportunity, dear Lord Jesus, by insulting or hating my fellow citizens; my fellow human beings.
Happy 244th Birthday, America!
PS: You might like Freedom of Speech is Extending YOU the Right I Want
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