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Take a deep breath. We are going to take some time to walk through our “4 Things to do After an Election.” All of these practices will draw us back to the ultimate truth.
Jesus. Is. King.
Pause for a few minutes and breathe again. Set a timer on your phone or clock and take 3 minutes of silence to let your mind settle. Pay particular attention to any emotions of anxiety, doubt, or frustration. Feel free to pause this audio.
. . .
This last week was challenging in many regards. There are lots of opportunities for anxiety, doubt, and frustration. Could it be that your dissatisfaction with the world in its current state is because . . . you weren’t created for this world? CS Lewis writes:
“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country . . .”
Why is it discomforting to see so much infighting, not just in society, but within the walls of Christianity? Because God has created us to live in harmony with our Brothers and Sisters!
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Romans 12:14–18 (NLT)
You were created for peace. The dissatisfaction of this world reminds us that, while we can participate with this world, our true Kingdom is the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is not a “sweet bye-and-bye”, rather it is advancing even as you read this. This Kingdom was inaugurated at the birth of our Humble King Jesus, it was animated at His death and resurrection, it is advancing through our lives this very day, and it will be consummated at His return.
This week, we will allow some practices to refocus us and remind us that our highest contribution in this world is both informed and empowered by Jesus, our King and our ULTIMATE HOPE, for not just our own lives, but our neighbors as well. Let’s read this prayer together . . .