Have you ever come across something that has aged horribly? Maybe it’s a movie you loved as a kid, but as soon as you try to show it to your own kids you realize that it has some wildly inappropriate parts. Or declaring your undying love for a band on social media and knowing you haven’t listened to them in at least a decade and their last few albums just weren’t that good. I came across an article recently that did not age well. Written in April of 2020 it declared that the pandemic would put an end to polarization.

I don’t know how your personal pandemic is going, but if there is one thing that is abundantly clear it’s that we are, sadly, as polarized as ever. And it feels like every issue gets pushed and pressed until it is an us vs them battle with no room for leeway on either side. Granted there are some capital T Truths that we hold close to our hearts and do our best to live within.

However, there are also many places where we should be showing grace and kindness even when we disagree. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to go out and be right every time and everywhere. We are called to love and live out the grace we have been given by giving it to others. Paul in Ephesians 5 says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

We weren’t called to beat people into submission with our thoughts and opinions. We are called to use our time well, wake up from the sleep that blinds you to the experience of people around you. Let Christ’s love shine on you and through you. It’s easy to see that the world isn’t perfect, but we can all do our small part to try and nudge people closer to the God that is.