Look to the past to live with greater wisdom in the present

Like many of you, I’ve been quite disturbed.

I’m sure some people would summarily write me off as disqualified from offering advice about how to live as an American. After all, I’ve been away from the country for nearly half my lifetime now. Indeed, I live in the heart of what many fearfully claim as America’s geopolitical enemy. So, who am I to judge.

Yet, something nags at me. Perhaps it’s the time away from my homeland that has provided a different lens. I’m a distant observer, hearing from my friends and family. Reading the news. Talking with people here.

To learn how to navigate the complex US social and political culture, look at the past. Not the spirit of ‘76. Look further back to the nation of Israel just before Christ.

Factional Volatility

Israel was split by politics, religious power, ethnic issues, and other hot potatoes which bear a strong resemblance to the US today.

There seemed to be endless factions. Consider some of the key groups and their relationship to the State:

~ Samaritans: neighboring ethnic group who lived adjacent to Israel. The two people groups disliked each other. They had different ways of life, different values and different beliefs.

~ Romans: Pax Romana – the peace enjoyed by nations submitted to Roman authority – spread far and wide. Israel was in unhappy allegiance to Rome. Roman power could be seen on each corner of the street where the military presence was tangible.

~ The less privileged: In sad juxtaposition to the wealth in cities were the poor, less educated who didn’t have access to the levers of power within society.

In addition to these groups were the factions within Jewish society:

~ Essenes: ascetic Jewish believers who believed living well required sequestering themselves from the rest of society, in essence creating their own communes. Life was getting worse and safety was to be had in shared community with shared values, peaceably. We have some wonderful archaeological finds from this group of people at Qumran – the Dead Sea Scrolls – which reveal and corroborate ancient Biblical and Jewish texts.

 ~ Zealots: as their name implies, they lived their Jewish beliefs with passion. Commitment to their heritage was without question and they would fight the oppression of the opposition – either in the open or through other tactics.

~ Sadducees: religious leaders who were the conservative, elite, wealthy and oversaw the temple seeking to maximize and secure their ethnic power. And, if this meant being in league with the areligious politicians, so be it. The ends justified the means.

~ Pharisees: the progressive lawyers and moral guardians of the time, ensuring the purity of the Jewish culture through establishing and protecting social mores, customs and laws.

There were more factions than these at the time. But, these share one common attribute: they were living in a way they thought was right and others thought wrong. Some were opposed to the other.

There was significant social struggle. There was animosity. There was likely significant hatred.

The Jewish factions wanted to seize, secure and maintain power. By persuasion, by lifestyle, by laws. And, some by force if necessary. They wanted to secure their kingdom. What many thought was their God-given birthright. What many saw as God’s kingdom.

The arrival of a new type of leader

It was precisely during this highly volatile political environment that Jesus Christ arrived on the scene.

And, Jesus simply didn’t fit in. He didn’t align with any of the factions. He didn’t align with any agendas. He set a new agenda that superseded and surpassed all others.

His agenda was the state of the heart.

He chose his leadership team and key followers in a way that resembled but surpassed the brilliant and radically counterintuitive approach of Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln selected men who were in vigorous competition to himself and the others to serve as cabinet advisors). 

Jesus chose a zealot. He also chose a sell-out opposite of a “now or never” zealot, hated amongst his own people: a tax collector. He chose a couple rough and tumble low educated fisherman. He chose a top, renown lawyer and purist. He chose a complete skeptic, who remained so until the end. He chose a straight-shooting cynic who would say it like it is. He also chose a tender-hearted man. He chose a doctor as a follower. And, he chose many women. Some from wealthy and powerful homes. And, some who had a highly tainted past. And, many many others.

His leadership team and core followers were a radical cross-section of society. Many of these people would have been at tension with each other. Many probably would not have liked each other.

Yet all of them had one thing in common. They were highly attracted to Jesus. Jesus was a different kind of leader. He was above people groups. He looked at people differently. He looked at the heart. He focused on people’s motives, their heart and their potential.

He was radical about social justice, lifting people from physical, emotional and spiritual pain. He allowed himself to get fully distracted by people who desperately needed Him.

Jesus also taught strange, radical ideas and principles. He said things like: “Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you.”

Say what?

Yes. That was Jesus. He pulled no punches, and He had a higher standard than anyone. He called people out who were self-righteous and cared more about their power and image than the hurting people around them.

He accepted people where they were. It doesn’t mean He didn’t expect change. He demanded repentance. That people turn away from disobedience and dependence on self and submit themselves to God.

This was the kingdom He was looking to install. God’s kingdom – wherever God is king. Not self as king. A new kingdom established in the heart. A kingdom not limited to ethnicity, nationality, and various other persuasions.

We aren’t Jesus of course. But, we can learn how to live and treat people the way that Jesus did, where people are.

The solution today

The solution to our fear-driven sense of chaos and loss in our society is to return to the truths spoken and lived out by Jesus Christ.

And, lest we forget. Let us not forget who killed Jesus. It was the religious and political leaders of the day. That deadly mix of power which sought to protect its own power and had no interest in a change of heart.

Let us move past religion and politics and learn how to live like the One who made such a huge impact on the world through his actions that we mark our calendars daily by His arrival.

Let’s look into our hearts. Let’s repent, submit to Father God and follow His son Jesus to experience the personal peace we so desperately need now and to make our world a better place.

We often hear others mention the need to present “our best selves” to the world. But, the key to our success lies not in making ourselves better on our own steam. As Jesus himself said, we are unable to do anything disconnected from the vine – to Himself. An old friend used to characterize it this way when she prayed: “may we have Your fragrance upon us.” Great fragrance has the ability to turn heads, recall special memories, or even lift the spirits of those nearby. Some people may even ask “what is that you’re wearing?” Such an apt analogy for what we are capable of if we stay connected to Christ.

I need it just like you do.

Am I not a bit late to the game? What possible value can I provide to the blog-o-sphere?

Chinese New Year has just finished. I saw a red Stanley flask on sale at Starbucks in Shanghai this afternoon with the words “Fortune Favors the Bold” emblazoned across the top.

This has nothing to do with me launching a blog. I just thought the timing was a bit interesting.

Like many of you, this past year has been one defined by plans changed. We thought we’d be in New York City at this time, starting our family life in the United States, spending holiday time with my larger family along beautiful Lake Michigan. That was the plan, and it seemed to be moving along well for over a year. Oops!

I am now grateful that the move to New York didn’t work out, but it took me a long time to come to terms with it. I’m now ok to keep living in Shanghai. It’s a very well-managed city, offers the world’s best cuisine, and the air is good. It’s much much better than many others are experiencing. So, I’ve chosen to nurture gratitude over disappointment.

Back to the question of why I wish to launch and manage a blog. This past year has provided an excellent opportunity to take stock of who I am, what I like to do, and how I wish to spend the coming years.

• I love communicating. Whether speaking, writing, or coaching, I enjoy it all. And, I love to share ideas and teach. I’ve been doing it for years as part of my paid work, and there’s no reason why I can’t continue to nurture this as an unpaid medium if it helps people. This blog is in that spirit.

• Looking back over my journals over the past decade or more, I saw a goal written, re-written and re-written again in various language and across a variety of mediums. Publish a book. The best way to make this happen is to maintain the discipline of writing regularly.

• I want to be useful. I’ve become tired of social media and the inability to offer a dissenting opinion. So, instead of commenting on a piece of news and generating conflict with someone I care about who doesn’t agree, I thought it may be better to develop long-form articles that require more thought.

• I’ve now lived nearly half my life outside the US, primarily Beijing and then Shanghai. But, I’ve also had the privilege of living briefly in Scotland and for a time in Wales. Hence, while I still have certain attributes that are characteristically American, having lived all my adult years away from my native country has given me a different lens. I don’t feel like I belong to any culture, which is both frustrating and liberating. Hopefully this lens can provide a useful perspective to events as I write about them.

So, thank you for reading this. I will try to write content that is helpful and be useful. Feel free to “follow” me and sign up for the posts as they are posted, and email me if there is an idea you wish me to write about.

Cheers for now.