UNFOUNDED GRIEVING: A COMMON DENOMINATOR

 

Feelings of loss, grief, fear, and anger are common to many people today.  However, as real as those feelings are, they may not be well founded.  I am thinking politically about feelings the “Left” and “Right” share.  On the one hand, those who have believed in the Enlightenment’s promise of collective, human progress are in mourning.  The project of humans being self-governed by rationality presents failures all around us.  On the other hand, many people are also grieving a personal loss of power to succeed.  “Success” does not come by self-application as in the “American Dream,” which too stems back to the Enlightenment.  Such feelings of loss turn into grief, grief into fear, fear into anger, and anger into acts of destruction of self and others.

The feelings of loss and grief are real and are powerful motivators.  What catches my attention is that some such grief is caused, at least in part in America, by failed promises of the Enlightenment.  The Enlightenment did away with humanity’s “irrational belief” in God and promised progress based on liberated reason serving human freedoms and the pursuit of happiness.  A bet was placed on reason, science, democracy, and free-market capitalism leading to ever-greater progress.  With what checks and balances?  What insight was there into what happens when each unfettered person pursues his/her own “rights” and happiness?

As one who is a professing Christian, I am distressed by how the grief and anger of the some who profess Christianity are due to unwittingly embracing atheistic, Enlightenment concepts.  For example, they reject a government that would pursue righteousness toward all, and, instead want only one that protects their “rights” and “freedoms,” particularly of their separatist identity.  Ironically, they claim to worship the Christmas, Incarnate Jesus who emptied himself of rights and freedoms and called his followers to become slaves in the service of others.  As Paul basically states, in Christ Jesus all religious, economic, racial, and other “tribal” boundaries no longer exist (e.g. Gal 3:28).  More ironically, they sometimes even reject the attempts of the nonreligious who do work for expressions of righteous, such as respect for diversity, equity in opportunity, and inclusion instead of marginalization!

I, too, know feelings of loss based on false or worldly expectations, and I need to be corrected.  Although such feelings of loss, grief, fear, and anger are real, they may be predicated on a pretentious and un-Godly view of humanity, a successful life, and of the world.  Jesus did not set a model of, nor call me or anyone to, a successful pursuit of “progress,” to enjoyment of “freedoms,” or to enjoy the “happiness” of the world.  He called me and you to find wholeness, meaning, purposefulness, hope, and joy by entrusting ourselves to God and by submitting to service in God’s Kingdom in the name of Jesus.

Lord, may I examine my feelings of loss and see if they are based on what is real and worthy in your sight.  May I not grieve as those who have no hope in you.  Help me to ground my expectations on your promises.  May I find my joy and worth in you and in service in your name.  Amen.