Choosing to See Ignorance

Dear Readers, 

Everyone faces adversity in life. Everyone struggles. But how we as the strugglers view the people who cause or perpetuate these adversities defines us far more than the struggles themselves. 

I see two options for how we view those who add to our struggles. On the one hand there are ignorant people who don't understand what life is like for others and therefore make decisions that hurt the struggler. On the other hand we see arrogant people who frankly don't care or whose priorities don't include the opportunities of others. 

While there is significance in the hearts of these two types of decisions that people make, the struggler is not meant to be the judge. That job is left to God and the men and women he's appointed as earthly judges in some cases. For those who struggle, the job is to choose our view of these people in our lives. 

For me, there's a conscious decision to see those who influence my struggles as ignorant rather than arrogant unless I have clear evidence of an intentional action. Usually, there's more ignorance than arrogance going on, although the egotistical part of humanity that puts the cares of others at the bottom of the pile is still a constant issue. 

But choosing to view these as issues of ignorance has incredible implications. First and foremost, it means that I can still love them. It's really hard to love someone when they intentionally hurt you or make decisions that explicitly add to your struggle. Of course, we are called to love everyone regardless of their actions, and I'm so grateful for that gift of grace. But from a practical and daily standpoint, it makes if far easier to appreciate others when I view their actions as stupid. 

The other implication is that there's hope. If people make decisions that hurt others out of arrogance, there's hope, but it rests far more on the shoulders of the arrogant one than the struggler. But there's possibility when ignorance is the issue because education and experience can often dismantle some of these misconceptions or misunderstandings. And from an eternal perspective, there's the future hope that ignorance and arrogance will both be thrown into a lake of fire one day. My, what a joyous picture that will be. 

All this said, both ignorance and arrogance often coexist. This has an enormous call to our hearts. We must evaluate ourselves every moment for how our actions and decisions impact others. This consciousness can overcome all sorts of issues that rest in both ignorance and arrogance. It's our job to be agents in the world who seek out justice in whatever circles we find ourselves. And when people hurt us, when we are surprised, or perhaps more when we are sadly not surprised by the people we love and care about who break our hearts, we can choose hope. We can choose to believe that our efforts are not unnoticed nor unimportant within the context of providing opportunities for everyone. We can consciously choose to make this world accessible in every way for all people, starting with our attitudes. 

Sing as one, 

SJC