How to Respond to Current Chaos with Humility
Being secure in who and Whose we are leaves us free to love and respect everyone in the room, even our Judas.
Sailor-Man and I listened to a call-in radio program while driving home from church on Sunday. The show’s host shared the mic with a psychiatrist.
One caller after another spoke about feeling emotionally and mentally stressed because of the current political chaos. Several said they were grieving lost relationships with family who hold diametrically opposing viewpoints. “How do I deal with this?” they asked.
Here’s what the doctor advised
The psychiatrist gave good counsel. She said, “You can’t control another person’s way of thinking, but you can control your response. So think about what you can do.” Then she gave specific ideas:
- You can choose to forgive others when they hurt you. Doing so doesn’t put a stamp of approval on what they’ve done nor does it let them off the hook, but it sets you free from anger and bitterness.
- You can show kindness to others. The world can use a little kindness right now.
- You can use wisdom in knowing how to maintain challenging relationships in a way that’s healthy for you. Maybe you need to agree to disagree and choose not to talk about politics when you’re together. Maybe you need to give each other some space until emotions cool down.
The doctor’s advice seemed spot-on. Practicing forgiveness, kindness, and wisdom is vital if we’re going to survive the current chaos and its fallout. But I want to suggest one more thing: humility.
Jesus demonstrated humility
Easter is fast approaching, and with it comes recalling the story of the Last Supper. (John 13:2-17) I find the part about Jesus washing the disciples’ dirty feet truly amazing.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.( John 13:2-17)
Jesus was God incarnate—Creator of the universe, King over all dominions and authorities, the holy and sovereign One worthy of all our praise. The disciples should have been scrambling and vying for the privilege of washing His feet, but instead, He washed theirs.
Imagine—Jesus knew He would die by crucifixion in a few hours. He could have made His last meal with His disciples all about Himself, but He did not. Instead, He modeled humility by giving deference to and serving His friends. And note this: He gave Judas, His betrayer, the same treatment as everyone else. What enabled Him to do so?
Jesus was secure in His identity and purpose. He knew “that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.” (John 13:3) Having nothing to prove and no one to impress left Him free to love and respect everyone in the room, even Judas.
So how does this apply to us?
When we’re secure in our identity in Christ and in our God-given purpose, we have nothing to prove and no one to impress. We don’t have to convince people that we’re right and they’re wrong. We don’t have to tout our position or authority.
Being secure in who and Whose we are leaves us free to love and respect everyone in the room, even our Judas—the person whose opinion and behavior during this current chaos makes us feel betrayed.
No matter which side of the chasm we’re on, let’s not allow fear, anger, or disillusionment to drive our attitudes and behaviors. Rather, let’s pray for peace and become peacemakers. Let’s guard against bitterness by extending forgiveness when people say hurtful or thoughtless things. Remember—hurting people hurt people.
Let’s show kindness to others. As the doctor on the radio program said, “The world can use a little kindness right now.” So start with a random act of kindness to brighten someone’s day: Send an old-fashioned hard-copy encouragement card. Bake cookies for a neighbor. Invite a single mom and her kids into your home for a meal.
Let’s exercise wisdom in our relationships. Trying to pressure anyone into adopting our beliefs will do more harm than good, so let it go. Pray for grace and patience and discernment, and let the Holy Spirit do the hard work. He’s the expert in those matters.
We’re riding a storm, and no one knows how long it will last. But this we do know: God holds each of us accountable for our response. With that in mind, let’s respond to the current chaos with humility. Let’s reflect Christ to all who are watching and bring honor to His name and reputation.
How about you?
We demonstrate humility through acts of kindness. What’s one random act of kindness you can do today?
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you so much Grace!
Your posts are so encouraging and helpful in these trying times!
God is in control and knowing whose we are and walking in His steps is a great reminder!
I am enjoying your devotional books so much and your first book on the Names of God!
Looking forward to your next book.
❤️❤️🙏🙏❤️❤️
Hi Donna:
Thank you for your encouraging words. That particular story about Jesus impresses me big-time with the importance of knowing our identity. Jesus’s actions are so noteworthy, and they set a powerful example for us in these chaotic times. “God, help us all respond as Jesus did in His time of crisis.”
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you, Grace. This is very true and a good way of dealing with the situation.
Hi Anneke:
Thanks for stopping by! I love, love, love that Jesus had nothing to prove, and His behavior reflected that. He was able to dig in and get His holy hands dirty and love those men with all their flaws (just like He loves us with ours). May we all learn to live as He did.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you Grace. So timely and helpful. I am trying to listen well to those I love who think and feel differently than I do. This world is temporary and I don’t want my poor responses to negatively impact anyone’s eternity.
Keep it up, Shawn. May God continue to give you wisdom and grace in knowing how to respond well.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Good words -again- dear Grace. I will share …but first, apply personally! When I am free from anger and bitterness, God can use me.
Hi Deborah:
I “hear” you. I feel like we’re all going through a refiner’s fire. May God get rid of the dross and bring out pure gold.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you, Grace Fox. So glad I read this. So grateful that Jesus gives us all freedom. Everyone.
Hi Mary:
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Yes — Jesus gives everyone the opportunity to choose to respond to hard things as He did–and then He helps us do it. We are so blessed.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Once again, a very timely and most appreciated post Grace!! One of my healthy ways to handle differences is to respond and not react! There is a big difference between the two. When we do, chances are that we will respond in humility and not react out of our emotions. Thank you so much for these posts.
Blessings, Genevia
This is perfect, Grace. Thank you for sharing and adding humility to the list. Reflecting Christ is missing in many people’s lives, in their posts, conversations, and how we treat each other. I agree that many of us are not secure in our identity in Christ or know that our God-given purpose is to love God and love others (simply put). We read and hear God’s Word, but are we putting it into practice? We believe in Jesus, but are we truly following His example?…
Hi Catherine:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You’ve asked some good questions. Oh, that we would live like Jesus and reflect Him to our very hurting world.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Hi Grace-your thought and inspirational about the political turmoil is right on time. Thank you for the reminders about humility and showing kindness, and also for always knowing Whose we are, and that He’s got this.
Hi Diana:
Thanks for stopping by! Oh, that we might respond in a God-honoring way and not react as our human bent wants to.Thankfully the Holy Spirit will help us do that.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you for this message today. I have lost my oldest child to this political divisiveness. Your words help soothed my broken heart.
Dawn, I am sooo sorry. My heart hurts with yours. “Father, please bring healing to Dawn’s relationship with her oldest child. Shine Your light of truth into the situation. Dispel the darkness. Bring peace, Lord. Bring peace to Dawn’s heart, too, as she waits on You and trusts You to bring about the very best outcome.In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Know you are loved,
Grace
Grace, this was timely for me. Politics have made me angry. I always have these arguments in my head defending my point of view. I think you’re saying that the cause is insecurity. When we know who we are, we don’t have to defend ourselves. Thank you!
Hi Gina:
Yes, I think insecurity plays a role in the way we respond to the political chaos. Deep down, our human bent wants to be liked and affirmed. We want to be right and for others to say so by agreeing with us. When they don’t agree, we do what we can to convince them otherwise. If they don’t respond, we get angry and perhaps cut them off.
I’m not saying we turn a blind eye to injustice, lies, evil, etc. We can’t just lie down and play dead when we see evil run loose. But I think we need to examine our hearts and understand the root of why we react as we do when others don’t share our opinions. When it’s appropriate, can we enter a conversation, listen to the other person and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work of aligning their heart (and ours) with His truth? When we truly “get” who and Whose we are–children of Almighty God who has eternal purposes in mind and whose purposes cannot be thwarted–we can trust Him to defend what’s right and not rush to do that job for Him. To say we’re in a complicated time is an understatement.
You’re not alone in entertaining arguments in your head. I do it, too. But bottom line, we don’t have to prove our opinions are right. If there’s convincing to be done, let’s let the Holy Spirit do that hard work and let’s be respectful of others.
Know you are loved,
Grace