No such thing as Neutral

I taught public school for nine years.  As an employee of the government, I well understood that I was to be "neutral" in my instruction.  Promoting any ideology was prohibited, yet I quickly realized first-hand that there is no such thing as neutrality in human conduct, really.  Humans have worldviews and their worldviews make sense of the world in very fundamental ways.  We operate out of those views without thought most of the time.   No fair-minded human would dispute this.  It is just impossible to completely divorce one's self from one's driving worldview.

Perhaps nothing exemplified this more clearly than the Supreme Court decision handed down on Friday, June 26, 2015.  Five of the nine justices ruled that same-sex marriage can no longer be denied in any state.  Reading the decision and the majority's opinion quickly revealed that this issue was decided based on worldview convictions.  Though justices were to be blind arbiters of the law in looking at this case, they could not resist ruling based on what they felt ought to be.  Even they, who legend says are to be the most excellent at executing objectivity, appear to have levels of bias.  This is far from shocking. They are human, after all, just like the rest of us.  We do not live like robots without feelings, sentiments, hopes, dreams, fears, thoughts, ideology.   It's what makes the human race simultaneously magnificent and convoluted.

The debate over whether justices overstepped their bounds in this case is not the point of this post.  I have read most of the 103-page Supreme Court decision along with the majority and dissenting opinions.  I have many thoughts regarding the points made therein and the outcome of the ruling, but that is for another day.  Here, I simply want to say what we all know to be true.  Worldviews inform humans. We should not be surprised.  As a Christ-follower, my worldview is shaped by the authority of Scripture and God's truth in my life.  I do not question this authority in any way and do not doubt my stance that God created marriage for one man and one woman.  

Yet, I know that to those who do not hold this view, my view is insane.  To them, it smacks of prejudice and entitlement and cruelty.  From my viewpoint it does not speak any of those things.  Thus, an impasse is created and indeed felt by those holding different worldviews.  Has this not been the case in all of human history?

So, as I reflect on the Supreme Court decision, I am not flagged.  I do not agree with the premise of the decision and do not think it pleases Christ.  I would be lying if I did not admit to sadness over Friday's decision.  However, I will not despair nor change my view of what is God's truth.  Furthermore, I am not going to hate those who disagree with me.  Christ calls us to love and to truth.  I can love those who disagree with me while standing on what I believe to be true, no matter what the cost.  

Let us stop insisting that everyone must agree as reality proves this impossible. To those who were excited about Friday's decision, please do not be surprised that Christ-followers do not join you in your celebration.  To Christ-followers, do not complain that those who don't know Christ make decisions and find victories grounded in their worldviews.  May God grant me the grace to love and to be kind and the strength to stand on His unfailing truth no matter what the cost as our nation moves forward.  

Perspective from the Couch

This beautiful January morning, I am perched on my apartment couch, gazing out at a wintry Pikes Peak.  I hear the buzz of traffic on the streets below and the ticking of the wall clock.  I am savoring the bite of my dark-brewed coffee and the gift of time.  Most of all, I am feeling compelled to think about perspective.

You see, I injured my back last Saturday.  I hurt it hardly doing anything which is a maddening thought.  I merely stretched too far on a sit-and-reach exercise, pushing my back to a point of strain.  Though I felt my back's complaint, I proceeded to do more exercises and then ran one measly mile.  I heard my back telling me to stop, but I was stubborn and pushed through the stiffness.  I didn't want to quit.  I was with others and I didn't want to say that I had to stop.  Well hello, Pride.

That stubborn choice cost me greatly.  By the end of my jog, I could barely walk, my lower back screaming foul play and causing every move to be rife with pain.  I could barely get into my car to drive home and then took embarrassingly long minutes to wince my way out of my car and up the apartment stairs. The rest of the day was consumed with downing pain meds, finding the most comfortable position and limiting movement as much as possible.  I had become a sort of invalid in just a short time.

As a result of my pride, I have missed four days of school this week and have found myself somewhat strapped to my apartment.  Normally, so much down time would be a gift.  Yet, when you feel limited in your ability to move or drive about, the gift turns into confinement.  Keeping my spirits up has been a crazy battle which has led me to ask, If I can't stand this much pain and inconvenience, how would I fair with the much-worse that so many others face daily?  This small trial has been testing my emotional and spiritual strength and I have found myself relatively weak in those regards.

So this morning as I sit on the couch that has become quite my good friend, I am convicted about my perspective.  It strikes me afresh that the human condition is naturally inclined to see the mess in a situation rather than all the things that are blessedly right.  Earlier, I flipped back in my journal and saw an old entry where I was wrestling deeply with something that is no longer a big trial in my life.  I had to shake my head in wonder.  Will I navigate life by simply trading worry for worry?  Or can I rise above and learn the art of a thankful perspective?

In that same journal, I wrote notes of thanks this morning.  It proved good medicine.  Choosing a positive perspective does not come naturally to me, but if I allow the Holy Spirit to reign in my heart, it becomes a lot easier.  To that end, I am thankful for extra time.  I am hopeful that while I sit, I will be still in spirit and dwell in the presence of God.  I am in true need of His daily redemption and am endlessly thankful that He is near.  I want to gain a healthy perspective, and He is the best Perspective-fixer I know.  Here's to sitting and dwelling and cultivating a thankful perspective during this time.