It Doesn't Have to Be Complicated

"Whoever would love life and see good days

must keep their tongue from evil

and their lips from deceitful speech.

They must turn from evil and do goo;

they must seek peace and pursue it."

1 Peter 3:10-11 (quoting Psalm 34:12-14)

On this sunny morning I've been looking up some stuff in response to a conversation I had recently about 'end times' and what exactly should we be doing about it.

My friend and I discovered we had some rather different views about the whole thing, which is good. Listening friends can stretch and inspire one another, if hearts and minds are open.

But a feature of the conversation was an approach to understanding Scripture that could easily become over-complicated and convoluted, at least from my perspective. Granted, anyone who studies any ancient manuscripts of any sort has to admit that context and authorial content and genre and the whole spectrum of the background work, does deserve respect. The Bible can indeed be confusing, I admit.

That's why, as much as I enjoy and thrive and am inspired by lively conversations, it's important to me, in the end, to keep the main thing the main thing. To find those places of focus.

It's been said that it's not the parts of the Bible we DON'T understand that are problematic as much as it is the parts we DO and still don't follow.

In the context of encouraging believers who were suffering for their faith, which was very much part of the early Church's experience, and also a big and fearful feature of my friend's understanding of what is to come, Peter brings things back to the basics.

"Seek peace, and continue to pursue it."

Our conversation took us to the big and awful things that are happening in other parts of the world, and trying to discern who were the 'good guys' and who were the 'bad guys.' But it seems to me that my best response to this right now, is less about passing judgement on all of that, and way more about making sure that, in the realm of what I actually do have agency over, this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.

Especially, I'm thinking, in the midst of conversations with folks I don't agree with. How can I possibly be passing judgement on conflicts anywhere else in the world, if I'm causing one right where I am?

Too simplistic? Maybe. And I'll sort through all the implications and push backs as I go.

But....staying focused on the basics seems all the more important to me these days somehow.

Picture: Not related to the post whatsoever. I'm just really waiting for Spring about now.