A few weeks back a neighbor left a dead mouse in an office supply box under our mailboxes. I  wondered why anyone would do something like that or why they thought another person could cope with a dead mouse better than he or she could. I do know people who are terrified of mice and all kinds of small creatures that slip into houses. When we are afraid we don’t always act rationally. We look for ways to drop our problems on other people who seem better suited for this than we are.

Sometimes our fears are grounded in fact. All of our experience tells us that we need to be afraid. Yet, often our fears are grounded in rumors and stories that are not true. Today, we are suffering through a period of fake news. Some like ‘The Onion” were meant to be laughed at, but never believed. But, too much of today’s fake news is meant to create fear. Fear of people who aren’t like us. Fear of those who do not share our heritage, our faith, our skin color. Most troubling to me is that at least some of the fear is being generated by people whose intention is to divide the country.  They know that if we live in fear of each other and if we remain divided as a nation, we will never accomplish the good we dream of doing.  Division lessens our strength and the power of God to work in and through us.

People may have a variety of opinions of how to reach a certain goal. We may have vast differences in views. What I have learned, is that when we put our heads together and look for a solution, we can take the best of everyone’s idea and come up with solutions that work for all of us. What I want in the world today are people who look seriously for the best answers and don’t worry about what part of the political spectrum they come from. I want solutions that value all people and recognize the sacred worth and value of each of us.   Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34 NIV      Fear divides, love unites.  When we start loving each other the way Jesus loves us, we will  start being the Christian nation we claim we are.