“Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” (James 3:16)
Humanity’s root problem is not irrationality or immorality. Its root problem is spiritual. It has to do with the state of our hearts, the springboard of our values, attitudes, motivations, decisions and actions. When our hearts are off everything is off. When our hearts are filled with selfish ambition there is all manner of disorder. There is breakdown of relationships. There is conflict within ourselves, with other persons, with other creatures, and with society and the world as a whole.
Our rationality and morality make things worse without hearts that are getting right, without our at least beginning to become centered and open to the Spirit of God in our lives. Without a change of heart, we rationalize and moralize the irrational and immoral.
Humanity’s core problem is selfish ambition, egotism. Rather than a self turned outward to our Creator and engaged with others and all creation with the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we instead live turned inward upon ourselves and seek to make others and our world conform to our inturned desires. When egotism holds sway, we go to war. We battle religiously and self-righteously. In other words, we rationalize our behavior.
Egotism operates with efficiency to provide justifications for our behavior. Power is exercised to get our way, self-righteousness clouds our conscience, and morality is whatever we make it. We fling moralisms at our opponents.
Then, when we hear from one whose morality comes from a very different place than that of our egocentric view of the world, it sounds foreign, unattainable, unreal. It makes little sense in the world as it is. In such a world, Jesus’ words about where blessing is found must be dismissed because he ignores the dynamics of the “real world” where battles are engaged for leverage and power over others. He tells us blessing is found with the “poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” and with those who mourn “for they will be comforted,” and with those who hunger for righteousness “for they will be filled,” and with “the merciful, for they will receive mercy,” and with “the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” and with “those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The alternative to selfish ambition, which gives rise to all manner of disorder, is to acknowledge our deep need and profound hunger for God and for right relationships with others and with creation, a right relationship which comes through a journey of relinquishing our lives to God. Jesus’ central message was “Repent (turn back to God), for the reign of God is near.” Let God reign in your heart and be changed. Come, be on a journey of relinquishing. As Jesus said, “Lose you life and you will find it.” Let go, and keep letting go.
By the help of the Spirit, step away from the fight for power over others and come to a place of freedom to serve and to speak truth to egocentric power. Be witnesses from a center other than the egocentric self. Witness from the place of surrender to God and openness to what God is doing as God calls forth our true self made in the image of God. The false egocentric self remains as a source of temptation, but being released into newness of life by the grace of God provides growth in overcoming this downward pull of self-absorption.
The change that is needed in our families and neighborhoods and nation is ultimately a change of heart, a change in the centering of our lives. Such a change among leaders would bring courage to address the common good rather than serve ambition and personal power. With that change, there is freedom to speak the truth with clarity in response to arrogance, injustice and ruthlessness. Our God-given humanity calls us to an ever deepening journey of trust in God in order to be witnesses to true humanity and true community as gifts of our Creator.