Stressed by the News?
Addressing the disciples’ question about when the end would come, Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come” (Matthew 24:6). There has been a lot of turmoil in the world lately and it's hard not to be alarmed about all that is going on. Daily we hear reports about the conflicts abroad—in Ukraine, Israel, and Iran—and here domestically—the protests against ICE and President Trump, for example.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to pay attention to the news so that we can do something—so that we can be God’s representatives in this world. But realistically, what can we do?
Well, we can pray—and that’s no small thing! But beyond that it's hard to know what to do. A Pew Research Center study showed that “Daily news consumers are very interested in politics, so they say, but they aren’t doing much… Most reported belonging to zero organizations, having attended zero political meetings in the last year, having worked zero times with others to solve a community problem” (Jeffrey Bilbro in Reading the Times).
We should pay attention to what is going on in the news, but we should also realize that the "news" going on in the lives around us is where we can actually be most active. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, we’re given the example of a Samaritan who helped the man in need alongside the road. We too have people in our lives with big “personal stories”—people who are struggling with loss or financial difficulties or health concerns. Here are our opportunities to be Jesus’ hands and feet.
St. Augustine said, “All people should be loved equally. But you cannot do good to all people equally, so you should take particular thought for those who, as if by lot, happen to be particularly close to you in terms of place, time, or any other circumstances.” Don’t get too stressed out by the news, but trust in the Lord, and look out for what is going on around you where you can help someone or come alongside them in their suffering.
Pastor Kory
