‘It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind’ – C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity
I blame the dang cell phone.
I wake up in the morning, shuffle downstairs to make breakfast, and there it is. I don’t know why it should be so enticing. But before I know it, as I wait for my eggbeaters to cook, I’m on it, fussing and fretting over the morning news feeds. On the one hand, it’s important to stay informed, especially in the dire times we live in. On the other, it’s probably not the best way to start the day. Especially since the daily news doesn’t seem to be anything particularly new. Basically, and as per the Book of Ecclesiastes, there isn’t much new under the sun these days. I can summarize the daily news as it has appeared for months, even years, as follows:
The Pandemic
Covid is still here. Many function as if it isn’t. People won’t get the vaccine or wear masks. The government response is very often incoherent. You are basically on your own.
Politics
Republican politicians and power brokers are working to end democracy because it behooves them to do so. They are willing to lie, cheat, shrug, etc., to hold onto power. They have no shame. (Yeah, there exceptions, but even these aren’t exactly profiles in courage, and so few they are scarcely worth mentioning). Oh yeah, and Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump…
Democratic politicians and power brokers can’t seem to understand that they have one job: to save democracy. Instead, they are fighting amongst themselves, fiddling while the torches that will burn society are lit. From the naive progressives who dream of the unattainable to the self-serving ‘moderates’ who seem to enjoy standing in the way of even a little progress, we see a party incapable of tying its own shoes. If you thought this ship of fools would save us, you had best think again.
Basically, the news of the day in the arena of politics comes down to this: ‘Autocracy! Coming to a country near you!’
The Environment
The earth is toast. Literally.
The Rich and Powerful
They are going to space, not paying taxes and unaccountable to anyone. They don’t care and there is nothing you can do about it.
Violence
The nations still rage. People still think violence is the answer to the world’s problems. An ‘eye for eye and tooth for tooth’ is making steady progress toward the creation of a blind and toothless world. Sorry Jesus. Sorry Gandhi. The world likes war.
Racial Injustice
White supremacy continues unabated in America. For all the talk of making things better, it’s getting worse. If democracy falters, look for the return of Jim Crow.
Truth
Just kidding. There is no such thing anymore. You are now free to believe anything you want, no matter how divorced from reality it is.
Entertainment
Some actor/singer/musician/influencer/sports personality just did something stupid. Another had a baby with someone else. Another got divorced. Someone else was arrested. Or gave money to charity. Or won an award and thanked Jesus. Oh, and whatever it is, it’s the most important thing in the world, far more important than ending the pandemic, saving democracy, stopping global warming, making a more peaceful world, ending racism, etc. BTW, who advanced on Dancing with the Stars last night?
White American Evangelicalism
A famous church leader who you should have known all along was no good has: (a) been caught in a scandal; (b) promoted Christian Nationalism; (c) said something racist; or (d) all of the above. Oh, and Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump Trump…
Sports
The Philadelphia [insert Eagles, Phillies, Union, Flyers…] let down their fans again last night.
Such is the daily news. Has been for months. Has been for years. And probably will be for months and years to come. Again, it is important to keep abreast of things. Many of the things I have summarized are as serious as a heart attack, and it does no good to stick one’s head in the sand and ignore the problems of the world. But at the same time, given that it isn’t really new, should we allow it to consume us? Should the daily news be the first thing we run to in the morning, or would we do better to run to something else?
I think C.S. Lewis was right. The first job of each morning, for everyone, but perhaps especially for Christians like myself, is not to immerse oneself in the news of the day, but to push back the noise of the world and listen to that other voice, that still small voice that counsels us to see things from another perspective, and to allow that larger, stronger, and quieter life of the Kingdom to flow into us. To stand back from all the world wants us fuss and fret about; to come out of the wind once more.
I think if I started my days like that, rather than riling myself up and only thereafter trying to listen to that other voice, I would be in a better position to face each day. I would be in a better position to take on the challenges of an increasingly daunting world.
So I think that’s what I’ll do. No more daily news first thing in the morning. And even throughout the day, I will do my best to keep abreast of things without letting them overwhelm me. Instead, I will begin by listening to that other voice, and let the Kingdom flow into me. And then, instead of driving myself nuts with what’s happening in the big picture world, I will simply practice my faith by doing small things in the circles of my little picture world that witness to another way. I bet that I will be better for it.
Maybe the world will be too.
Under Christ’s Mercy,
Brent