The World I Used to Know - Where Did It Go?

Have you ever had the thought, “Where am I? And what have you done with the world I used to know?” I must admit it’s crossed my mind more than once.

Things were very different in
the world I used to know.

When I was growing up, the biggest problems in our schools were chewing gum, running in the hallways, and the only shooting that took place involved “spitballs” through straws. To talk disrespectfully to a teacher, much less confront one violently in anger, was unthinkable. The idea of someone coming into a school with guns and other weapons, seeking death and devastation, wasn’t on anyone’s fear monitor.

It used to be that comedians could comment on everyday situations we all could relate to, without resorting to heavy doses of profanity and vulgarity. They genuinely tried to entertain, not to demean or ridicule others, or to endorse a certain worldview. Funny people were, well, funny. And they left all of us feeling a little more lighthearted and better equipped for facing the realities of everyday life.

There was some degree of bullying in the world I used to know, and it was unacceptable even then. But these days, technology has driven malicious thinking, words and actions to depths we couldn’t have envisioned in decades past. How tragic that seemingly neutral tools, things such as computers, smartphones and social media, have become twisted into devices for hate and depravity.

The world I used to know was far from perfect, I’m fully aware of that. Society has made some important and positive strides forward. But today, “tolerance” has come to mean being favorable toward anyone who takes a “do whatever you want” posture, while being utterly intolerant of anyone who holds a view that some things just can’t be tolerated, accepted…or heartily applauded and endorsed.

It once was unfathomable that someone on a daytime talk show would denigrate anyone who follows Jesus Christ - and believes He can personally speak to them in a variety of ways - as having a “mental illness.” This, however, is exactly what one “celebrity” whom I won’t dignify by naming stated recently.

A Bible discussion I participated in helped to bring things into perspective. Several passages in the Bible refer to God’s people as “aliens and strangers” in this world. For example, 1 Peter 2:10-11 states, “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” (Another translation uses the phrase, “aliens and strangers.”)

King David wrote, “Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were” (Psalm 39:12). And in the book of Hebrews’ “hall of faith,” in speaking about those who through the centuries exhibited great faith, it says, “All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

This reminds me of lines from an old hymn you might remember hearing: “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

If we believe the Scriptures, we’re told this world is not the destination, just an interim stop – similar to a stopover in some city’s airport where we change planes so we can get to where we want to go. The only time I’ve been to Salt Lake City, Utah was like that. I didn’t even change planes; we just landed, some passengers disembarked, others boarded, and we were off again. (Looking through the jet’s windows, the nearby mountains did look beautiful.)

Carrying the “aliens and strangers” metaphor further, Ephesians 2:19 points out that once we become members of God’s eternal family, we change citizenship: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household.”

So as the political debate over “illegal aliens” continues to rage, we should recognize that from God’s point of view, we too are “aliens” in this world, neither legal nor illegal. We’re just a-passin’ through. What are we to do in the interim? In 1 Peter 2:12, we find our instructions: “Live such good lives among the pagans (non-believers) that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).

So if we feel alienated at times, it’s because we are aliens, even though no passports, visas or green cards are involved. We can take heart by remembering, “our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Sticks, and Stones . . . and Words

Choose your weapon: Sticks, stones - or words.

We don’t hear it as much anymore, but growing up I often heard the adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The thinking behind this was that physical blows could cause harm, but we should be able to casually slough off hurtful statements hurled at us. Unfortunately, personal experience has taught us this isn’t true.

Harsh, demeaning comments directed toward us can echo in our minds years, even decades, after they were spoken. Recently a friend recalled being the target of someone’s insensitive ridicule more than 40 years before; he even remembered the name of the person uttering the insult. Talk about making an impression!

Had that individual thrown a rock at him, the incident might have been long forgotten. But damaging words have a way of piercing to the depths of our being, where healing takes place very slowly, if at all. Emotional and psychological wounds can be devastating.

Growing up I remember occasional incidents of bullying in school, but nothing to the extent that it seems to occur these days. We commonly gave each other nicknames, sometimes intended as affectionate teasing, but other times sounding like biting sarcasm. Today, bullies young and old don’t have to do it face to face. They can take the cowardly approach, seizing the protection of social media while attacking others, ridiculing viewpoints or spouting hateful epithets.

With the surge of political correctness, any expressions outside prevailing cultural norms are now regarded as “hatred,” bigotry and intolerance. Never has the tension grown so taut around one of our nation’s long-cherished freedoms – freedom of speech. Honest opinion and the right to hold beliefs and convictions, often in the face of shifting social mores, seem in grave jeopardy. At the same time, opinions and convictions don’t excuse being malicious in our interactions, whether in person, over the phone, in an email, a website that invites commentary, or any other medium.

This is why I value the wisdom and insight the Bible offers about everyday communications. We have, for instance, the admonition to speak judiciously and with discernment: “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). I like that imagery – words pleasing to the ear should be like things welcome to the eye.

I’ll admit when I read statements that make little sense, or seem expressed in malice, I’m tempted to respond in kind, letting people know what I think. But I try to remind myself not to give people a piece of my mind that I can ill afford to lose! Instead, at such times it’s better to ask what the most constructive response might be, knowing sometimes no response is the best of all responses.

Here’s a guideline that’s worth keeping in mind: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Saying something because it’s true is one thing; saying it because it will be beneficial for any and all who hear it is very different.

Being a journalist – and believing “journalists” are people that have opinions about everything whether they know anything about it or not – I’ve never been short of opinions. And yet I try to remind myself of the adage that it’s better to keep quiet and be thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt. King Solomon, writing eloquently about his adventures in seeking meaning and happiness through any means made available by his position and wealth, made this observation: “Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips” (Ecclesiastes 10:12).

Being a follower of Jesus Christ, I recognize we now live in what many observers call a “post-Christian” or “post-modern” society in which many people don’t share my beliefs. One approach in interacting with them would to argue or to become defensive when they denounce matters of faith. However, that was never Jesus’ methodology. He never sought to persuade or manipulate people to His perspective. Except in the cases of the Pharisees – prideful religious leaders who clearly thought more of themselves than they should have – Jesus always responded with sensitivity, compassion and respect.

To be “Christ-like” means to ask, “What was Christ like – and how can I be like Him?” This is what the apostle Paul, one of His devoted followers, concluded: “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6).

Contrary to the sticks-and-stones saying cited earlier, words can hurt. They can maim. Even destroy. So it’s incumbent on us not to use words as weapons, but as tools to build up, bless, encourage, strengthen and inspire. What would our world look like if we all strived to do this?