It has been a very eventful few days in our country. We have elected a new President of the United States. During the prolonged vote counting, and even in the discord after, I have seen several opposing memes on social media regarding the election.
On one side, people are trying to reassure one another by saying, "We don't need to worry. God is in control." In other words, God knows the outcome already, we must be patient, and trust that whatever the decision is, it is preordained by God. God is in control.
On the other side, I see people pushing back against the phrase "God is in control." As a Christian, at first glance, that seems silly to me. Of course God is in control! We believe in an all-powerful, all-present, all-loving God. God is with us every step of the way. God is in control.
But it also made me pause and seek to better understand the push-back. I have enjoyed learning from Kate Bowler and her book Everything Happens For A Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved. The phrase "everything happens for a reason" is not helpful for those who are experiencing difficult times. Perhaps there is no reason for some things and they simply happen. We can learn from them, but God doesn't cause purposeful heartache in our lives simply to teach us a lesson.
Adam Hamilton has also written on harmful phrases in his book Half Truths. "Everything happens for a reason" falls in line with phrases such as "God needed another angel" and "God won't give you more than you can handle." We know the truth to be that sometimes people die cruel or accidental or unnecessary deaths, AND God is with us in our profound grief. We also know that sometimes we are given more than we can handle, AND with our faith and community, we can persevere. So what is the flip-side to "God is in control?" God is in control AND...
God is in control AND we are too! God gave us free-will, otherwise known as the ability to choose our actions. Will we make this choice or another? Will we do what is right or wrong? Is there more than one good decision? God created us to be co-creators with God so we have some control over ourselves and our communities through our choices and actions.
Now, given all of the unprecedented happenings of 2020, I can say confidently that I better realize today than I did in January, that I do not have control over everything. Many things are outside our control. When will schools return to full-time in-person learning? When will there be vaccine for COVID? When can our churches fully reopen to in-person worship? We must relinquish the need to be in total control in order to ensure that we do not go crazy when things are out of our control around us. Other people are making decisions, and we have to follow. We have to accept our limits, take deep breaths, and make the best choices we can given our circumstances.
One of the memes pointed out that God has been in control during world wars, great famines, massive fires, destructive typhoons, and mass murders. God was in control during our most recent election and all of the division we are experiencing in our country today. But we also have control and cannot remain idle. We must take action to do one of the Greatest Commandments Jesus asks us to do as faithful followers: "love your neighbor." In order to love our neighbors, we must make the choice to reach out with kindness. We must advocate on behalf of us all, especially for those in the margins. We must seek as we say in The Lord's Prayer to bring God's will to earth as it is in heaven. Being in control, means voting. It means wearing a mask. It means speaking up when we witness injustice. We can trust today that God is with us. God is walking with us. AND God has given us the ability to make choices. We must use our ability to better our communities, our nation, and our world. Love acts. God is in control AND we are too!
Photo by Hani Bdran on Unsplash