Today’s Scripture Reading (October 11, 2019):
Proverbs 22
She was a woman from Minnesota.
The year was 2008 and the United States was in the middle of a political
campaign. And the woman was concerned about one of the candidates. “I can’t trust Obama. I have read about him, and he’s not, um, he’s an
Arab.” John McCain gently took over the conversation. “No, ma’am,” he said.
“He’s a decent family man [and] citizen that just I just happen to have
disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what the campaign’s all
about.” John McCain has taken some criticism for his response. Some think that
he should have commented on race, he could have said that there was no
difference between a White American and Arab American, or any other kind of
American. But McCain chose not to comment on race. He just reassured the woman
that Barak Obama was a good person, who disagreed with him on some issues.
Actually, “chose” might be a strong word. I am not sure that, in the
spur of the moment, “chose” is quite right. It is not as if John McCain spent
an evening trying to craft how it was that he would respond to the woman, and
consciously decided not to speak about race. The woman spoke, and McCain felt
that he needed to stand up for what is right. McCain talked about a truth he
believed in with a pure heart, and yet he communicated with the woman with
great grace.
I admit I live in a fantasy world. In the world that I live in, people
who disagree with me are not evil; we just disagree over some things. And I
actually like my beliefs to be challenged because I believe that the
discussions make me stronger, and can correct me when I am wrong.
Sometimes I wonder if Solomon lived in my fantasy world. Especially in
this proverb. I totally agree with Solomon. In a logical world, this is the way
that it should work. People who love a pure heart and run from duplicity, and
can do so with grace, will always be a friend of those in power because power
always needs the ones who can gracefully speak with truth. Truth is always
necessary to make good decisions and advance national agendas.
Maybe part of the modern political problem is that we want to assign
blame, rather than just discuss issues, and maybe even make friends with those
with whom we might disagree. We can’t listen to the one who gracefully speaks
with a pure heart without it sounding like someone is trying to assign blame
for wrongdoing. After all, news agencies have proved that they keep everything
that we say on record, and it is a sin that we might ever change our mind. And
that is the danger of one who loves a pure heart, and speaks with grace,
reveals in our lives. With their input, we might adjust what it is that we
believe.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 23
No comments:
Post a Comment