Preaching Life

I should’ve taken the opening because there has been no wider gap since. I look at the endless line of cars still streaming my way. There appears to be no entrance spot into the flow of traffic. Four cars have piled up behind me. I feel pressure to get out of their way and move on with my journey. Finally, there is a tiny gap between two cars travelling at high speeds. I lurch into traffic. What I would have considered completely unacceptable initially, maybe even dangerous, I now grab as an opportunity to move forward. Fortunately, there is no mishap – I am safe and traveling at 75 miles per hour in a flash. But my sliding scale of moral valuation has slipped in the two minutes I sat at the stop sign.

I worry about how that translates into more important ethical areas of my life? Do I cave to the perceived pressures of people pacing behind me? In tense times do I accept what I otherwise find to be objectionable? Has my patience worn thin from defending my convictions? Fatigued, do I incrementally compromise fragments of my integrity?

I wonder if we, as a nation, have hopelessly devalued the morals that require us to be patient, honest, loyal and selfless. Are they no longer realistic in a political climate where truth-telling is optional? Do we leap into our world regardless of whose journey we might interrupt or endanger?

Amidst national mistrust and on-line spewing, I am grateful to have faith in a God who redeems our foolish human ways. I cling to the urging of my Christian values to rely on the Holy Spirit working through me in seemingly hopeless circumstances. I am compelled as a follower of Jesus to hold my place in the rapid flow of human community; to speak a word of truth and act on it, no matter the consequences. Others will take stands different from my own. That is both the beauty and difficulty of the world. Our challenge is to make room for each other in traffic fueled with irritation. It will be a lengthy pilgrimage. May God have mercy on us all.