IT IS A GOOD THING I AM NOT IN CHARGE, I DON’T HAVE THE ANSWERS

Debbie and I, along with Willy Nelson of course, were on a road trip from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Phoenix, Arizona. We took the scenic route so we could stop and see some friends along the way and enjoy the sights that you miss on the interstate. We traveled for two days, drove 1,200 miles and had great conversations with some good friends.

We also listened to some very interesting podcasts.  We listened to interviews and conversations with people who were smart, well read, articulate, and very different from us. Some voices we heard were familiar to us through the books they had written; others were new to us. Some of the events and stories they talked about we had heard about before through various news channels, others were new to us. We agreed with some of the opinions they expressed and disagreed with others. What seems most clear to me, is that among those who are careful and reflective, there was no agreement on the solutions to the problems that we all face. In all the conversations we listened to, no one ever insisted that their view was absolutely right or others who disagreed with them were stupid. It seems to me that among the smartest, most reflective people in America, they understand the problems are complicated and that the solutions are not clear.

As I have thought about the problems which America faces, I too find the problems complicated and the solutions unclear. Regardless of how much I read, study, and think, I don’t have answers to the biggest, and most important questions. For example, I don’t know how much the government should be involved in my life.  I am grateful for a lot of our government.  I am glad we have public schools, local police and fire, and people who come every week to pick up the garbage. I am also grateful for the United States Military and for the opportunity that young men and women have to serve their country and advance their personal lives. There is a lot about our government which I deeply appreciate. However, I am nervous about how much and how deeply they are involved in so many aspects of our  lives. This is just as true when it comes to the government and the economy. I really have no idea how much the government should spend, how much debt the country should carry, or how to tax people fairly. I also see that racism and mass incarceration are a problem, but easy solutions are unclear to me. These are just a few problems we face, but I don’t have the answer. It seems to me the problems we face are big and complicated, and the only answers which I know are wrong are simple answers. I don’t trust answers that fit onto a bumper sticker, are easily chanted at a rally or protest, or are solved in one sentence or phrase.

Of course, the angry divisions we face is another big, complicated problem which is not easily solved. However, the answers are rooted in humility.  Humility begins when we admit that before we can fix the problems in others, or in the country, we have our own issues which need to be addressed.  This is what Jesus articulated so clearly in Matthew 7:3-5 “ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye”.

After we admit that we don’t see the world perfectly, and we are part of the problem, the next step is taking the time to read, listen, and think deeply to those who disagree with us. The solution is NOT that we all agree, but that we are humble enough to acknowledge that thoughtful people who disagree with our point of view have a point too.

I don’t believe that on this side of heaven we’ll ever live in a perfect world. And I don’t think it is realistic to think that people we’ll ever be in perfect agreement about any issue. However, I do think that with humility and careful reflection we can live in communities where we are civil to one another and work together to solve large complicated problems.