What is happening in our world today? We seem more scattered than ever and today’s passage speaks directly to that fact.
I’ll be honest, I truly believed that COVID would be a turning point. I felt as though God put the world in a giant ‘time-out’.
I can almost hear Him speaking the same way we would speak to our own kids…”Well…since you can’t seem to get along, I’m going to separate you all for a while so you can think about it”.
The separation followed.
The isolation followed.
The detachment from friends and family was painful and sad.
We began to fear contact. We feared each other.
Shaking hands and giving hugs was pretty much forbidden.
A simple “How are you?” became a loaded question and even eye contact was avoided.
We craved socialization and clung to the hope of returning to ‘normal’.
Yet…here we are, more divided than ever. How quickly we’ve forgotten how much we needed each other during those times.
In truth, I really believed when it was over, we would be better. We’d be more patient with each other, more accepting, and would offer a bit more kindness recalling how difficult it was to be apart.
But, it seems as though the opposite occurred.
Rather than celebrating a return to humanity and interaction, and appreciating the chance to socialize and be together again, the world seems to have been turned on it’s head.
We’ve become angry, hateful, and more divided than ever. We’re less patient, less tolerant, and less willing to lend a hand.
And it’s heartbreaking.
So, I’ll ask again…How did we get here?
How do we think God feels about all of this?
We, his children are behaving…well…like children.
And I think our behavior breaks his loving heart over and over again.
So how can we heal? What will it take for us to own up to our part in this mess? When will be begin to extend some mercy and forgiveness?
Today’s passage says to ask Christ to gather our hearts and to make us agents of unity in a world that’s been pulled apart.
It reminds us that “Christ is the end of all separation – separation between God and man, and separation between each other”.
Can we look at our lives this Lent and acknowledge where we are scattered?
Are we willing?
I pray for the strength to follow God’s lead and to lean on Him for guidance and peace and an “end of all separation.”
Will you join me?
Jesus, gather my scattered heart. Make me one with You and make me an instrument of Your peace. Amen.
