Humanity. What If…?
With flowing tears streaming from a flushed face, my client trembled with paralyzing fear. “I’m dizzy, my heart is racing, and I’m scared.”
A darting gaze attempting to absorb everything at once met my eyes. With hands covering the shame-filled tears, my client sank into the chair, sobbing uncontrollably.
I prayed.
Dangerous Emotions
When we sense danger, our brain triggers stress, preparing our body for fight-or-flight. But physical reactions do not tell the entire story. There is a psychological component to fight-or-flight responses.
Many people struggle with intense and frequent fear reactions. They need help to find healthy boundaries between fear and anxiety. When navigating complex client issues, I often ask what causes such strife and excruciating pain.
Emotional anarchy is growing in volume and urgency within and outside our homes and schools. Ignoring, suppressing, or waging war on our emotions to cope with fear only allows anger and intolerance to rule our hearts.
Truth in Love
What our world needs now more than anything is biblical truth. Life is not trouble-free, but we unite with others who help us survive.
Christian unity, rightly understood, disarms the moral chaos in our hearts and evil in our world. Changing lenses changes lives.
Gospel truth is a universally relevant message that many proclaim to know so well, yet few live it, so it bears repeating. We inherited Adam’s sin, but Jesus saved us from our curse by dying for us.
Connection is in our fundamental design, where love for God and neighbor go hand in hand. Our journey from this sin-infected earth to our ultimate home in heaven is not without trouble.
Sin is a “dis” ease that affects everyone. Because of this, we will never live on planet Earth problem-free.
When we see our fears with an all-or-nothing fight-or-flight perspective, we only magnify the problem. Life isn't just about comfort. To achieve balance, we must abandon self-reliance and unite with others.
To mature spiritually and endure hardships, we must change our perspective. Oh God, open the eyes of our hearts to live in your wisdom!
“and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” (Romans 5:4)
The gospel teaches us to share truth with love, serve humbly, and seek unity across boundaries through the Holy Spirit. Christian unity is more than shared truth, but not less.
Some people struggle to accept that we are all sinners because it challenges their deeply ingrained beliefs. The change process challenges many, but we have the message of healing and wholeness if we believe it.
Life-Changing Unity
Change your lens — I will suffer in this life, but I will unite in brotherly love to help me — and you will change your life.
Christians rely on Jesus to navigate cultural tides with dignity and unity, speaking truth and seeking common ground. Forgiven people forgive, and loved people love. Christian hearts and minds open wide across cultural, racial, and ethnic boundaries through God’s saving grace.
There is an unhealthy level of division and hostility in our world today and a need for greater civility. All people can benefit from a message consistent with Christian values.
Relationships benefit from diverse opinions as long as people respect each other's right to disagree. Disagreement is not disrespecting.
If I disagree with someone, their opinion matters enough that I want to invest in discussing it. Still, our society is immune to discomfort, so we position ourselves with people who think like us to avoid inconveniencing ourselves.
Sometimes we coerce people through abusive power to win an argument. Or worse, we delete the person we disagree with from our lives. We will never resolve conflict this way.
A Whole New World
From the mind of C. S. Lewis, “Pride is the greatest sin. It always means enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.”
When people hurt us, we instinctively want to brawl or fall, but our best answer is to humble ourselves and pray for a new perspective to understand God’s truth. Embrace God’s grace; He will conquer your fears and unite you with others who can help shoulder your burdens.
“For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues. They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.” (Psalm 109:2-4)
Jesus helps us answer our most profound questions on trust and forgiveness and shows us how to live fearlessly. Our hurt may not change, but our mindset can.
What if we could be Fruit-filled united people responding to hatred with love; grief with joy; fear with peace; intolerance with patience; contempt with kindness; envy with goodness; pride with faithfulness; power with gentleness; and anxiety with self-control?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)
The Holy Spirit gives unity with all humility and gentleness.
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2–3)
Humanity. What if...?
