First Baptist Church of Herndon

Confusion

Linda Soller | Jan 16, 2017

The weekend was really cold, with a dusting of snow and a ton of salt on the roads. Driving to work on that Monday I heard the voice on the radio say it would be sixty degrees on Thursday. I looked around, yes, still in northern Virginia. I looked at my dash, yes, it’s still January. I’m so confused! I’m such a creature of habit, how about you? We hold expectations and when things go as we expected, we may not be thrilled, but we are not really surprised. So while I tolerate cold and snow in January, there is something unsettling about the temperature going from the teens to sixty in four days.

This blog is live on Monday, and this particular Monday is Martin Luther King Day. Frankly as a child in 1963 when the “I have a dream” speech was given I didn’t appreciate why it was a big deal.  Through a child’s eyes doesn’t everyone have a right to their dreams? I was a bit confused. As I grew older, I was encouraged by Dr. King’s dream. In this land of opportunity, I saw people simply asking for a fair chance. As a Christian, I saw it as a call for change which did not ask for violence, but spoke to our greater sense of humanity to fix problems. Now daily I see conflicts. Am I seeing it because of social media? Has the situation never really improved? As Christians, are we not taught to love one another as we love ourselves? I’m a bit confused.

In a world where no one can truly live in isolation, and where basic human needs still go unmet, can we turn a blind eye to the pain? In a world where powerful people in powerful positions can guide the public conscious, can we tolerate when they seek personal gain over the greater common good? When our parents worked so hard for a bright future for their children did they ever think their children would desire to return to the past? It’s confusing.

If someone were to ask me today what I thought of our country now I would answer I’m so confused. I think we are still the land of the free, the home of the brave, where people can come for a new life, a better life. I think the very Christian values on which we were founded still guide most of us in our personal and community decisions. I still believe in the dream. I think others do too, and I am not afraid. I was not raised to think in past tense. I did not raise my children to think others don’t deserve to dream as they do. I am a Christian. Let there be no confusion, God is love, love is His expectation, and love is what we need today.

Have a great week!     : o)  Linda