The Lie of Isolation

I love hiking and backpacking. I pretty much know the ins and outs of all the public parks within an hour’s radius of my home and I love the solitude that is available at these places. It has become a habit of mine to routinely get out into nature. In nature I can see more clearly the creation of the Lord. I see beauty and marvel at how beautiful it is and praise the Lord for His creation and praise Him for the art of it all. Being out in creation is a wonderful respite from stress and frustration for me but I have begun to discover a disturbing trend in my behavior: when I have relational conflict or are stricken by the pervasiveness of my own sin, I long to retreat into the wilderness. When I am disturbed by the ungodly activities in my community of across the world, my initial inclination is to flee into the woods. This revelation has opened my eyes to the great lie of isolation. The lie of isolation is that by removing the external influences you can better yourself.

We falsely believe that if we remove ourselves from temptation we can eliminate sin. This motivation is what led the Desert Fathers to flee the extravagances of the Roman Empire and to seek solace in the wilderness. Their (justified) desire for purity led them to an incredibly drastic retreat into asceticism. Sin, though, is a product of our yet unconvinced flesh, which has yet to comprehend in our freedom in Christ. Sin, ultimately resides in our heart not in our surroundings. Isolation seeks to remedy the sickness yet only serves to mask the disease.

Many of us find ourselves frustrated and often hurt by the actions of others. We linger on the pain of broken relationships or harsh and critical words. We see the sinfulness of our unbelieving neighbors and we are disturbed. Our knee-jerk reaction in these situations is to pull back because it hurts to remain. Isolation tells us that if we remove ourselves from engagement with others we can mitigate the risk, the temptation, or pain associated with human relationships.

Solitude is a beautiful, wonderful tool, modeled by Jesus, that serves to refresh, refocus, and clarify but it was never intended to be an end unto itself. To do so is to abandon Jesus’ call not only to a community of believers but also His command to go out and make disciples of all nations, which requires engagement with the individuals and communities that surround us. To abuse this discipline is to act out of fear and selfishness--- both faulty and unhealthy motivations.

We were not made for isolation either individually or corporately. When we isolate our communities from the greater world we fail to fulfill our purpose and reflect poorly our Savior who, though often seeking the solitude of the wilderness, was committed to entering into the lives and communities of sinners (us). What cause do we have to lament the grievances done to us when our Savior, through His engagement with us, suffered more than any man can conceive?

When we turn to isolation to escape our problems and pain, believing the lie that it will recuse us of further discomfort, we fail to fulfill the purposes we were created for. We were not created for isolation. We were created for fellowship. We must, however difficult, uncomfortable, painful, or hopeless it might seem, believe that the Spirit of the Lord is strong enough to heal the wounds; strong enough to influence change in others; strong enough to fulfill the plans of God. We must view our fellow believers truly: as brothers and sisters. We must listen and engage them as if they were family, for that is what they are. We must seek their good above our own for such is the example of Christ. We can trust that: “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Problem of Rich and Poor

It is only April of 2015 and already the race for the 2016 Presidential election is gearing up. Elections have a tendency to bring out the worst in people (much like Internet comment sections) but this year promises to be worse than most as it is without an incumbent candidate. Everyone is fair game. During election season (which seem to be continual) a lot of judgements and accusations get thrown around. This is really just a product of our sinful nature but it becomes particularly evident during campaigns.

With the economic disparity currently seen in the United States some of the most vitriolic accusations seen are those against the rich and those against the poor.

It is very easy to blame the rich for the plight of the poor. It is easy to attribute the financial gain of others  to exploitation or some moral failing. After all, we’ve seen vivid examples of just this sort of thing in the news. Corporate CEO’s benefitting from golden parachutes while duping investors out of millions. Millionaire athletes shirking tax bills. Add to that the very basic human emotion of jealousy which causes us to desire the wealth and security these individuals possess. However, when we take a step back, the black and white struggle against the 1% becomes much hazier. How much money does it take for one to become “rich”? If we’re honest with ourselves, we always strive for just a little more; just a little more and our lives would be secure.  When we realize that when we look at the “rich” we are not looking at our neighbor’s yard but rather gradients of a sprawling field, it becomes much more difficult to cast stones.

It is also very easy to blame the poor for causing their own problems. This is a common accusation during campaign stops. Listen to any debate on welfare or social services and you can usually trace the flicker of self-righteousness. America, it is said, is built upon the notion of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps (sorry Andrew Carnegie) through hard work and perseverance and we’ve all seen and read examples that give us inspiring stories of men and women whose empires were built upon sweat and guile. How easy is it then to look at the poor and disenfranchised with judgment that they lack or choose (through irresponsible decision-making) to build a capable life for themselves? These accusations are less often spoken but undercurrents in speeches and conversations. However, just as the concept of the “wealthy” is a spectrum, so is the concept of “poor”. Beyond that, we must force ourselves to sympathize with the situations of others and see the larger forces and incidents that create poverty. When we do this, we are faced not with a sycophantic mass but individual people and families struggling to build their own lives.

We are often quick to fall into either of these two camps, but I want to challenge us to ask 3 questions of ourselves before we cast judgement:

1.       Are you making wise financial decisions with your money? While it is easy to crucify the rich for exorbitant purchases and indulgences, it is much harder to ask the question: “how am I spending my money?” Are you indulging on unnecessary items? Are they justified? It is easy to say that the poor make poor financial decisions, but it is much harder to ask: “am I frivolous with my money?”

2.       Are you being generous with the money you have? Wealth or poverty is no justification for selfishness. If we decry others for their financial impropriety then we must also look upon ourselves and assess our own charity. Jesus’ parable of the talents gives us a model for how we are to steward our gifts (monetary or otherwise) whether we are wealthy or poor.

3.       Is the amount of money you have an impediment to gratitude? The root of our judgmental attitudes toward the finances of others is ingratitude toward the One who provided them. When we covet the wealth of others we disrespect the Lord who gave to us more than we deserve. When we mismanage that which we have been given we fail to steward that which has been entrusted to us. Jesus gives two examples that highlight this principle. Jesus discouraged the rich young man who came to follow Him but was unable to relinquish that which his heart most desired --- his wealth, for the sake of the Kingdom. It was his love of money which attempted to co-reign with Christ in his life. This cannot be. Nothing (least of all money) can share kingship with Christ in our lives. In contrast, Jesus brought to the attention of his disciples an impoverished widow who gave a small coin to the temple coffers. She, Jesus attested, gave out of her poverty rather than excess. Her generosity was rooted in her faithfulness. Both of these examples show us that wealth (or lack of it) is never to rule over our lives. Both jealousy and judgement are destroyed by gratitude.

So as we embark on this political season, let us consider first our own hearts before lashing out (especially on Facebook and Twitter) from unhealthy motives.