I find it tragic that we have moved from being merely cavalier about making everything disposable to becoming empty users of other people. We have whole segments of our society that we consider nothing more than something to use up and then throw away. As though a soul is no more than an old tissue. Wipe up and toss.
And right now I am thinking of the “we” as Christians. God knows the painful state of the rest of humanity. God knows; and when I catch even a glimpse of His heart, its pain is too much for my soul. I cannot look upon our inhumanity to each other. I can’t face it.
Whole people are considered useless and burdensome, Dirtied and spoiled.
But that is not God’s attitude, view, or valuation. Where have we failed to see as God sees? And why? Why are we throwing away precious souls? Did it start with rationalizing abortion? or earlier? Did it start with valuing our belongings as more important than the humans around us and in our families? Is it rooted in trashing our Christian teaching and morality? Not our country’s ‘morality’, OURS, our personal mode of valuing and treating others. The Church’s teaching, value standard, and morality. Did we toss out our love and compassion…and now we think nothing of turning our backs on those who hunger for the love of God? Forsaking the mandate that we clothe them in the restored innocence of the garments of salvation. Why aren’t we throwing these garments over their naked wounded bodies?
Why do we think we are serving God when we can’t love? When we reject even our brothers and sisters who aren’t what we want them to be?
…let alone those outside the walls of the Church.
It isn’t the message of a false tolerance, an indifference that lets death creep into every vein while we use up what there is for our own designs. Don’t mistake that real love for others has anything to do with sickening and stinking philosophies that crush souls into the politically correct machinery that is called love by our throwaway society- the origination of the users and abusers who seduce simple souls into the web of their agendas. That isn’t the place of refuge and peace. That is more like Hotel California.
But it also isn’t the empty promises of a hypocritical church. Of us as hypocrites who mouth words of love and strike with swords of division and hatred… while refusing to call it hatred. No, let’s call it self protection, just preserving our self existence. Yes, let’s call it that.
Do you… for one moment… think that God is smug and comfortable alongside you as you lay waste to others and reject them while you gather so festively in your own small tribal feasts?
It is time to gather them in. It is time to invite in the broken and marred. Welcome the scarred and the pierced. The maimed and despairing, the ones forgotten and disposed of…. by the throwaway society.
Hunters of God… it is time you appeared. Not to wage war and bring down, but to go searching and catch the fearful and fleeing and tell them…. there is sanctuary. there is a safe place, and a place to find shelter and healing, and compel them to hear that they are loved, they are wanted….
Before the final darkness falls.