In October of 2019, Christian singer/songwriter, Josh Wilson penned a song titled, Revolutionary. Little did he realize how impactful it would be for this current year, 2020.

“All that I knew is that in the USA, 2020 was already set to be a divisive and polarizing year due to the upcoming presidential election. When I sat down with my friends James Tealy and Steve Fee to write these lyrics, we wondered if we could pen something that would inject a little bit of hope into the political situation we’d all be facing in the coming months. It seems natural, almost effortless, to focus on our differences with others rather than our similarities. Drawing attention to those differences keeps us glued to the news and social media because of the moral outrage we feel towards the “other.” I think there’s a better way though, and that’s the way of empathy and understanding, the way of kindness. We started with the lines, ‘maybe you’re not like me, maybe we don’t agree, maybe that doesn’t mean we’ve got to be enemies.’” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6glQdaQUZ1U

2020 has been fraught with upheaval, the likes my generation has never seen. We have endured a pandemic, violence, riots, a war between the common man and the police. I don’t think anyone my age, who grew up in the 1980’s has ever seen such turbulent times. I also don’t think we have ever seen such a polarization of our country. In my mind I often wonder if this is what it felt like during the civil war, when families fought against each other over slavery.

But Josh Wilson asks a beautiful question, “What if we don’t agree?” Does that really mean we have to be enemies? This past week I woke up to the news that President Trump and First Lady Melania, were diagnosed with Covid 19. I braced myself for the fallout. My anxiety immediately increased as my mind raced with the many “what if’s” this scenario held. There were many to jump on the bandwagon and criticize, even wish the President the worst, given his diagnosis. But I was encouraged when some of his most ardent antagonists came out publicly to wish him well and to ask the public to pray for his recovery.

Isn’t that really who we are? We are Americans first. People first. We shouldn’t put people into boxes, sorting them out as “liked” or “hated”. What would our world be like if we just treated each other with kindness? What if we saw past the labels of “left” or “right”, “Democrat” and “Republican” and just saw each other as fellow human beings. We all want to be loved. We all want to be safe. We all love our children and want to see our world prosper. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus taught, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” 1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Now, I will be the first to admit, this is difficult for me. I vowed as a teenager that I would never be abused again, nor would I tolerate being mistreated. But is that what we are really dealing with in our country? We absolutely have places where we need to improve but hating each other will not bring revival…it will only complete the destruction of this great country. I ask you friends, look into your heart. Is there someone you work with; someone you have in your family that is estranged? Seek reconciliation. Pray for them. Cry out to God that his mercy will fall on his people and he will heal this land. Choose today to be a peacemaker. Choose to love your neighbor and to pray for those who you do not agree with. I challenge you—make kindness your revolution and let’s start caring for each other again. -God Bless!