#WhatReallyMatters

In the past few months, I think we have seen more tragedy than in any other time, if not in my lifetime, then certainly since 9/11. I don't have to recount them for you. You would have to be trying very hard to be completely oblivious to everything that has been happening. I've been wanting to write a good response to it since Orlando, but it's taken me a long time to collect my thoughts. Because truly...how can I respond? I mean, I'm a middle class college student whose biggest concerns should be getting good grades and finding free pizza. Yet my news feed is full of tragedy after tragedy, shootings and accidents and bombings and worse.

How can any of us truly grasp the depravity our society has sunken into? The other day, I caught myself on the verge of hopelessness, begging Jesus to come quickly because I simply couldn't see the light at the end of this darkness. And I still can't. Frankly, some of the stories I read make me want to find a hole and hide in it.

But that's no way to live. It's just a way to not die. And God calls us to more than just surviving until we die. He calls us to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the hands and feet of Christ, and much more. We can't just hide from it all.

The other tendency I have is to draw a battle line. "These are the good guys" and "those are the bad guys." But when we draw a line between one group and another, we also draw that line between love and hate. You can disagree with someone and still love them. You can't pit yourself against them and love them.

So when I see all those posts about whose side somebody is on or who they dislike or whatever, it just breaks my heart further. I don't care what side you're on politically or what hashtag you associate with. My human opinion cares, but none of that matters. Like it or not, you and I are still neighbors, and Jesus said the second commandment--guys...the second most important thing we can do in our entire lives besides loving God--is to love our neighbors.

And even if you choose to make me your enemy, guess what. I still have to love you because Jesus said to love my enemies too!

And taking up arms against the people you disagree with does no good, because we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (or hashtags) but against the forces of evil that we can't see or touch.

There is so much more that I could say on this topic, and I hope to write more soon, but for right now, ask God to help change your mindset from one that sees enemies to one that sees lost souls in need of a Savior. The world doesn't need more of your opinion, your politics, your candidate, your laws, or your hashtags.

It needs to see Christ's love.

And that is what matters.