Our week has been a little off because Henry doesn’t go back to PDO until next week. On Wednesday, I had a virtual meeting at 9 and then went to an appointment, coming home at 12:30. Micah let me know that Henry’s crib needed to be adjusted now that he can pull up; he hasn’t tried to crawl out but it won’t be long til he tries. After grabbing some lunch, I located an allen wrench to adjust the crib and when I was finished, I turned on my tv and was shocked by what I was seeing.

I foresee telling this little story to Henry in 2040 when he’s voting in his first election and likely many times before that. January 6, 2020 will be another day where we reflect on where we were when it felt like the world was turning upside down.

I wish I could say I was in disbelief but I’m really not. I’ve been reading up on extremists groups to the right and the left for several months and I was fearful that we would see something like this although I prayed it would not happen. Alas, here we are. 6 days into 2021 where we were hopeful that things would look different than the year before but instead it looks like a continuation of the same old crazy.

Because we all fall into a different position on the political spectrum, I won’t try to navigate the question of how we got here but I do think it’s important that we think about “where do we go from here?”

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again… and again, and again, and again – we have work to do that starts within our own hearts.

I saw a facebook post this week that struck a chord in my spirit and revealed a fundamental heart issue that we as believers have to address within ourselves. The post read, “When will y’all learn that GOOD and EVIL will never be united?”

This question implies that one side of the political spectrum is good and the other is evil and I’m here to say that’s just not true. We have to take personal responsibility for not viewing those who vote differently than us as evil based solely on their political position. I’m most disturbed when I see such language coming from people who claim to be followers of Jesus – and I see it often. We’ve allowed ourselves to fall into the traps of political tribalism to the point where we see the other side as the enemy rather than our brothers and sisters.

I saw a video on Thursday and still today it makes me weep. Maybe you’ve seen it too. It’s a video clip from the House Chambers in the Capitol where in the balcony, members of congress are sheltering in place with gunshots all around and you hear a voice over the chaos praying to Jesus for peace in our country and for God to heal our land. That was the voice of Delaware’s Democratic Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. Political tribalism will tell you that she is evil and the enemy to those who vote red but I am telling you that she is your sister.

Our own Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn is someone that I disagree with on most political issues but she is not my enemy, she is my sister.

I beg you, brothers and sisters, do not fall into or remain engulfed in the trappings that political tribalism bring. We must repent, turn from our sin and live the life Christ has called us so clearly in scripture – to seek His kingdom, to love our neighbor, to stand for justice, to be peace makers, to be a light in this dark, dark world.

So where do we go from here?

We go to work – starting within our own hearts.

Let’s get to work.