Unrecognizable

Valerie Cullers 14 Comments

Have you ever gone to a town where you had visited and something devastating had happened there? You start to survey the landscape and look for familiar landmarks, but don’t see them. The scale of the devastation is so great that the area is unrecognizable. You aren’t sure exactly which street you are on, and it is impossible to find the features you remember. Has that ever happened to you?

If it has, you know that the first thing you do is get out your phone and call up Google Maps. You hope there is some way to get your bearings and find what you are looking for. You desperately search for something familiar so you can orient yourself to your surroundings.

That is exactly how I feel when I look at the culture around me. I feel I am living in a society that is unrecognizable from the one I grew up in. Almost every social metric has plummeted in a negative direction. Just to name a few: criminal behavior has skyrocketed because it is rewarded with a slap on the wrist and a get out of jail free card. Homelessness is accepted as a normal part of society, and few public officials are able to find a meaningful solution to the problem. The benchmarks on the education of our students are abysmal, and yet billions are thrown in that direction with little or no improvement in literacy or mathematical skills.

Unfortunately, I can’t call up Google Maps for help to try to navigate our culture. How do I, as a believer in Jesus Christ, live in a meaningful way in an unrecognizable society? The only thing I know to do is to go to the Scriptures to help me find my bearings. When I read them, I can somehow get a perspective on what I see taking place. When I look at some of the last words that Jesus spoke to his disciples, they open my eyes and help me see the signposts I am looking for.

Jesus said that the last days would be like the days of Noah. Those days were marked by violence and genetic engineering. He also said they would be like the days of Sodom. Those days were filled with sexual perversion and children being misused by unscrupulous adults. Jesus talked about the love of many growing cold, and if that isn’t one of the primary mileposts of our day, I don’t know what is. Man has stopped caring about his fellow human beings, and meaningful compassion is in short supply.

Rather than walking around dazed and confused, each of us can look to the Scriptures for clear direction. We can ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit so that we may love our fellow man. We can do whatever is within our capabilities to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us. Then and only then will we make a significant impact and the landscape we see will become more recognizable.

14 thoughts on “Unrecognizable”

  2. I’m glad to see you posting again. I hate that you are so right about the crumbling society. Every time something hopeful happens, we are pushed backward after a short time. I’m reminded time and again my hope is not in this world, but in God Himself.

    You are spot on that all we can do is read and try to live out His word in our little corner of the world.

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  4. Scripture is a necessary part of my spiritual life but so is action. I am trying to be Christ to others in my community. I’ve seen the same things you see and it is disheartening. I’ve also seen hope reborn in eyes when we’ve delivered food… I can’t change the world for everyone but I can do a little at a time for one person at a time….

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  6. Thanks Val! I constantly search for beauty and truth and try to listen to podcasts of people who have come out of the darkness. I believe we can pray for light and ask God to help us have wisdom to know how to love in such circumstances. The battle with the spiritual realm is real but we know who wins. I have had the word “warrior” come to me in prayer lately. Keep fighting the good fight and bringing truth into the world. Much love to you.

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    • Dear Meg, So good to hear from you. Yes, the Lord can and will bring people out of the darkness…after all He rescued us, didn’t He?
      Hope all is going well with you. You are a Light in the Darkness, for sure!

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  7. Hi! Looks like many of us who have been away are coming back . Good to see you. Yes the world is like that , but God is shining ever brighter! We are set apart for a reason, and we can see these changes clearly. Eyes on Jesus!

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