In my last post, I shared a couple of reasons we outside observers of the current conflict in Eastern Europe shouldn’t be shocked that such turmoil still exists in our world. But as I’ve been burdened by these recent events, there has been more to my thought process as I’ve been submitting my own perspectives and preconceptions to scrutiny. So today, I challenge you to join me in asking these questions of ourselves. They are difficult and painful to answer but worth answering honestly, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. Are you ready? Here we go...
Am I
quick to have negative assumptions of individuals simply because of their
nationality?
I’ve been
encouraged in recent days to see many people reminding others that the Russian
people are distinct from the Russian government (as could be said for
Ukrainians and their government). It’s been heartening to see people
verbalizing the truth that we shouldn’t be angry at all Russian citizens simply
because we’re angry their government decided to invade another country. But
it’s also telling and somewhat saddening that there is a need to verbalize such
a truth, that it isn’t something everyone already understands and exhibits.
And yet, it
still has to be said. Why? Because prejudice runs deep in the human heart, and
humans, who love to take the easy path, tend to oversimplify things. Put those
two things together, and it becomes understandable why we like to lump people
into categories and ignore the nuances that make individuals different from
each other. It’s a lot easier to think of all people who share a certain
characteristic, like nationality, for instance, as falling into the same
category to which we can apply a single value in our minds, either positive or
negative. It’s more difficult to take the time and mental effort to parse the points
of divergence among those people, especially when Person A might agree with
Person B on one thing but with Person C on another thing, and Persons B and C,
disagreeing on the first two things, might agree with each other but disagree
with Person A on a third thing.
Age, gender,
and ethnicity stereotypes are talked about a lot, but stereotyping
nationalities is just as problematic. Often nationality stereotypes are tied to
government actions. For example, individuals from a country might view
individuals from a rival country with contempt, simply because the two
countries are rivals. Or, people might assume that an individual from another
country agrees with that country’s position on every issue. From traveling to
multiple countries to now living in the Middle East, I know what it’s like to
be viewed through the lens of my government, and it’s not fun to say the least.
So I have
to ask myself: Do I do the same to other people? Do I think less of them
because I don’t like what their government is doing? Do I think citizens of a
corrupt government are correspondingly corrupt? Do I impute certain
characteristics, mindsets, or motives onto people without first hearing from
them directly—or even knowing them personally at all?
The current
conflict in Europe is a good reminder to us to reevaluate our attitudes toward
other people. And for those of us who are followers of Jesus, we have all the
more reason to put to death our prejudices regarding nationality. Not only are
we called to die to ourselves, but we are also commanded to treat others as we
would want to be treated and are reminded in Scripture that God does not show
favoritism, which stated another way, means He also shows no prejudice. May we
submit our attitudes and opinions to Christ, allowing Him to refine us and remove
the impurities of a prejudicial heart and mind.
But there’s
another way we can exhibit latent prejudice in response to conflicts such as those
we have seen in recent weeks, which brings me to another question:
Have I
been so burdened by what is happening with Russia and Ukraine because I think
Europeans are somehow above this kind of conflict in contrast to other parts of
the world?
We are
rightly burdened when we hear the stories and see the videos of children
hunkered down in bomb shelters, of teenagers finding themselves in need of
defending their homes with force, of babies being born underground, of people
from all walks of life taking up arms to defend their cities. Brokenness in our
world should hurt our hearts and fill us with compassion, just as it does our
Savior. So, just as the last blog post was not minimizing the traumatic shock
that those living through an earthly hell are experiencing, this section is in
no way to diminish the suffering that is happening right now in Eastern Europe.
But as I have
heard people’s heartrending stories straight from their mouths, I’ve had this
nagging conviction press upon my heart. Am I burdened to the extent that I am
because these people look like me and come from a part of the world whose way
of life is very similar to my own? Do I think that somehow the experience of
the Ukrainians and the Russian soldiers is more horrific than that of the
people experiencing similar violence in the Middle East, Asia, or Africa
because I think Europeans should be “past that kind of barbarity?” Or, put
another way, do I think less of the oppression and violence on other continents
because I think people from those parts of the world are less sophisticated and
thus oppression and violence are just part of their way of life?
Remember
when I said these questions wouldn’t be fun? As much as I’m ashamed to admit
it, a part of me did look at the suffering in Europe differently from the suffering
in other parts of the world, and I had to repent of my prejudice in this area.
Now some
have said, and it is true, that it is not wrong for us to be more focused on
some issues more than others. As David Platt has expressed in his book Counter
Culture, God did not create us with the emotional capacity to carry the
burdens of the entire world—only He can do that. So my challenge in this area
is not to say that we have to give equally of our time, money, or care to every
single conflict across the globe. God has laid different causes on different
people’s hearts and given people particular passions to meet particular needs.
But what I am doing is challenging us to examine our mindsets, to
evaluate the way we think about people experiencing trauma whether from
occupation, invasion, oppression, persecution, abuse, famine, disease, or natural
disasters, and not to show favoritism or prejudice in our attitudes toward
them.
Every human
being is created in the image of God and therefore has inherent value. Just
because someone is born into a culture that tends to be more violent than
another does not mean the trauma experienced is any less significant, any less
horrific, or any less moving to God. So may we ask God to give us the heart of
Christ, a heart of compassion for all who are suffering, regardless of what
they look like or what country they are from. And as we continue to pray for
Europe and to follow the Lord’s leading in sending support to the suffering,
may we remember to do the same for other parts of the world as well, and may we
find peace in knowing that God is strong enough to carry the burdens of all
those we cannot reach or do not know. After all, He loves them more than anyone
could ever imagine—just as He loves us.
