Guarding My Heart: Navigating Tariff Territory

Above all else,

guard your heart,

for it is the well-spring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

I was going to start by saying this wouldn't be a 'political' post.  But the truth is that everything's kinda' political right now, so who am I kidding?  Because....Over the weekend so much news!

I stayed up on purpose Saturday night to hear the statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in response to it being all official now about the tariffs being imposed by the US Administration.  And regardless of where I land on various policies and practices of our Federal government, I did appreciate his direct comments to both the American people and the people of Canada, and his steady encouragement towards resilience.  Transcript here.

It made me consider what my own approach will be, in these next weeks and months of navigating tariff territory, as both a Canadian, and a follower of Jesus.  I need a plan, if you will, exercising my own agency, to stay balanced and true to both those essential components of who I am.

This is an early, in some ways unrefined response.  I sense there is a lot of reflection and formation ahead in the coming weeks.  My perspectives have yet to be more robustly informed by actual and not just feared outcomes, and by how it will all play out in real time. 

But so far, as I anticipate the unfolding of what will likely be an historic week, three 'intentionalities' compel me forward.

1.  Practice Contentment

We'll likely be doing without in the next little while.  The list of items that will certainly be more expensive, or perhaps not be available at all, is long already, and growing.  I'm thinking I'll be confronted with some things I've just taken for granted.  And that's not all bad.

Paul, in part of his letter to the Philippians who had not been able to be consistent in their practical, financial support of his ministry, writes this:

"I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.  

Indeed, you were concerned but you had no opportunity to show it.  

I am not saying this because I am in need, 

for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, 

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." 

Philippians 4:10-13

For different reasons, Paul had times when things were tight.  I admire his bold statements about 'any and every situation,' and, leaning into the strength of Jesus, I want to press more into that space as I face the challenges ahead.

2.  Stay Generous

Tight times tend to make us pull in.  I want to resist that urge, and keep looking outward.  Remembering some of our collective responses to the oncoming pandemic in 2020, I will again avoid hoarding, even as I find it necessary to shop differently perhaps.  If needed, there are lots of ways I can spend less on myself without shortchanging what I believe God asks me to give to others.  It's a very real way to make sure love doesn't also become a scarcity in the midst of everything else.

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need 

but has no pity of them, how can the love of God be in that person?

1 John 3:17

But even beyond physical goods, I want to be generous in spirit, give people the benefit of the doubt, make sure I don't start viewing others as competitors.  Which kind of leads me to my last intentionality.

3. Shun Hatred

"In your anger, do not sin."

Ephesians 4:26

I feel the collective anger of Canada, I do.  The suggestion that our country be claimed as a 51st state is deeply insulting.  That so many humans on both sides of the border will be significantly harmed by deliberate actions taken by this Administration, is deeply disturbing.  That so many of my American neighbours, some being friends and family, believed this was the leader they wanted truly baffles me, and not in a light-hearted, bemused sort of way.  

So I feel all the big feelings, acknowledge them, and give them the space they need to help me process all of what's happening.  

But I also know that without the application of supernatural grace, my anger could become a further agent of harm, both towards those who intend to harm me, and also to myself.  Anger that leads to redemptive action is one thing.  Anger that festers and degrades into blind hatred is another.  And I refuse to let that happen in me.  Like I said, friends and family.  We cannot let this pit us against each other!  Not as people, not as countries, and certainly not as the Church of Jesus Christ!

That's why I hope to keep reading, keep investing, keep listening, keep loving, keep guarding my heart.  Love absolutely has to be the way.  Otherwise, how will they know Who I follow (John 13:35)?

And that's it for now.  From me at least.  There's plenty more to process in the days to come.  But it's a start.

I appreciate the minds and hearts of many who are assessing all that's happening, and thoughtfully reflecting on them with more political eloquence than I could ever muster.  

I also respect those who find the need to guard their mental health by limiting how much they will or will not reflect on all these things.

And I find hope in experiencing first hand how it actually is possible to agree to disagree and continue to serve God together, applying ourselves together around bigger needs than trying to decide who's right.

God keep our land.