Cooling Systems

Matthew 5:9

This has been a violent summer with shootings in South Carolina, Tennessee, and elsewhere bringing tragedy to the forefront. All of us are affected by these events, perhaps most distressingly so in that many folks grow inured to the suffering—too much stimulation in one direction actually dulls the senses. 

With the political climate being what it is in our country, the suffering becomes fodder for various forms of vitriol that gets us nowhere, but fills the 24/7 news hour on cable TV. For some, that, too, becomes violent, a constant hammering of angry voices from which there is no respite. 

Even the weather seems to play into our situation with unrelenting heat and humidity that does nothing but shorten patience and quicken tempers. Perhaps that explains the atmosphere on the interstate during a recent trip to Virginia and back—heavy traffic did not increase caution, but rather inspired aggressive tactics—I will tailgate you until you move over, even if we are stuck in a stream of trucks trying to navigate the ridiculous up and down grades of mountains. Heat makes everyone antsy. Cities make it worse because we live atop one another. 

I find myself perusing pictures of cold, rainy weather on the internet—a cooling presence that brings a vicarious respite. I find myself limiting my time outdoors to absolute essentials. I find myself loathe to read my online newspapers, afraid of what might come (they counteract me by messaging immediately news eruptions). I tune out any and all political commentary. I retreat to my books, music, family, and the dog. 

Do you not feel that way, too?

Maybe it’s just me.

I need some peacemaking.

Then it strikes me that if I want peace, I need to be the peacemaker.

That is the whole point of Jesus’ blessing. He names the peacemakers the children of God. Scripture makes it clear that the children of God are all human beings to ever take a breath, so we realize our created power when we act in accord with God’s reconciling grace, a grace so powerful that St. Paul named it the absolute core of our faith (cf. 2 Cor. 5). So, peacemaking is actually part of what it means to be created in the image of God. 

That means I cannot wait for someone else, but need to take up the mantle and serve.

But where to start?

A friend of mind posted a simple meme on Facebook the other day—

Listen and silent share the same letters.

There is a beginning—be silent and listen. As I make my way through the piece of the world where I live, I try to pay attention to the people passed and encountered. I listen to hear what is going on for them, to them, and in them. A dear friend of my parents, Charlie, a retired pastor who adores college sports, recently had hip replacement surgery, severely curtailing his ability to go out and see the games he loves (they live near three colleges with lots of cheap seats for games of baseball, soccer, basketball, etc.). I ran into him in the hall on the way to my parents’ apartment. He saw me and immediately began to launch onto a narrative of the last few months. I needed to get to my parents, but he needed to talk. So I listened. We can all do that. We can all choose to be silent and listen to someone who needs to talk. Maybe that will keep them from becoming irritated, frustrated, and angry with the world in a destructive way.

Sound too easy?

I don’t think so. To listen acknowledges someone. To listen says they are real. To listen says they are valuable. 

To listen can also be an initial step to helping someone find help. Hearing another’s pain or suffering or upset at the world, life, at others may well help them let go of that hurt. It might also give us an avenue to directing them to someone who could help, heal, or offer assistance in a way that staves off feelings that could blossom into rage at being neglected, dismissed, or ignored. 

Think of the power of intervention in the lives of lost souls. What most of us truly need is someone to communicate care, compassion, and comfort. With that, we can let go of a world of damaging forces within us and help protect ourselves against their influence. 

Look to Jesus. His ministry was so often nothing more than acknowledging the worth, value, and beauty of someone deemed outside, contemptible, or broken beyond repair (lepers, tax collectors, the possessed, streetwalkers, etc.). He reclaimed them by listening, intervening, and directing them to God. He brought gracious cooling to a spirit burned by all sorts of ill winds. 

That is our ministry. That is our hope.

On this hot, let’s practice it.