With the Palestenian-Israeli conflict running for decades, plus the recent tragedy of a civilian airline being shot down with its 295 innocent passengers, conflict has become THE theme that has cut through time and territory. And if one is not properly armed, it's so easy to fall into a state of depression because of how hopeless the world has become.
With so many sad news around us, in one of my pray dates, I shared about how I am sometimes overcome with guilt that I am not "affected enough" by such state of affairs.
Okay, forget about society's current events; even for issues that are closer to home, I would catch myself feeling guilty that I can go through my daily responsibilities feeling mostly at peace, hardly harassed or kept up at night.
Meanwhile, I would observe other people becoming high-strung and stressed by related issues and experiences.
I would ask myself: Am I insensitive and inconsiderate? Why am I at peace when the people around me are not? Are they seeing something I'm not? Am I apathetic or blind to the troubles that are right in front of me? Is there something wrong with me?
This verse offered me both comfort and humility:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
Comfort because I did not need to understand everything that He does, as His thoughts are at a higher level than my own. Humility because while I claim to "not be affected" by things that I'm going through, I was obliviously worrying about WHY I was not worried, which is anxiety in itself.
The conclusion? Well, something that was emphasized to me again today, is to focus on things that are within my control, and to not worry about those that are beyond my control. Why allow my energy be depleted if I sincerely believe that He is sovereign?
And taking the cue from Caesar, we realistically cannot control the people around us, even if we are of the same race...even if we are "family". What's important is how we relate to EACH human / animal we come across, whether family or not. That we treat this person with love, offer trust, show respect -- because that's the only thing that matters in the end. Not our power or influence, but how much love we give away.
