The coronavirus pandemic is a hard reality punch to the gut. It’s a hand of death sweeping across the world, ending life, destroying wealth, spreading fear, enforcing isolation, and suffocating the vulnerable.

At the end of this, we’ll likely all know somebody who lost somebody, or lose somebody ourselves.

I will offer hope, but this is an unavoidably dark moment. The current level of fear, suffering, and death is a stark contrast from our accustomed comforts. We are a culture immersed in distraction and fantasy. We have been living with false security, thinking we understand what our lives are meant for. 

When we study history, we see the blindness of past generations to their own false narratives. Why would we be any different? Why wouldn’t we be any more blind to our own false conclusions? Unless we cultivate more wisdom, our missteps will remain invisible to us. Here is our biggest blindspot...

Our culture has been avoiding God—and we need to admit it.

Humans are always the product of their environment. In our particular context, we have been possessed by an erroneous idea. Even with a black swan event it may be nearly impossible to step back and see it. 

Today’s religious doctrine is the belief in self-determining truth; that we can find salvation in our accomplishments, in our allegiances, or in ourselves. Yet, the frustrating inability to ever fully arrive uncovers a greater societal dogma beneath it all: Everything is unfair and those others are to blame.

In the lead up to this pandemic, we have been collectively distracted from life’s spiritual journey. We’ve been plagued by the destructive force of “otherness” and twisted views of “fairness”. Whether it’s gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, politics, ideology, or the like; we are polarized and divided. We have fallen into the trap of blaming our troubles on whichever group we don’t belong to. Socially engineering rules to control each other and seeing offense everywhere.

Our culture is trapped in a dehumanizing tribalism. Our problems must be because of those others. If it wasn’t for them, everything would be ok. To fix our world the others must be held accountable. The irony is, we can’t see we are doing it ourselves, since it’s always the others who are doing it. We may cope with these discomforts with a boost of self-esteem; frequently—and loudly—congratulating our side in front of our opponents. 

Every person suffers the psychological fate of casting themself, and their team, as heroes and the others as villains. It’s the age old story we can’t seem to escape, and our technology has magnified it. We rarely submit ourselves to the standards we hold for the others. In losing a sense of transcendence, we have lost our smallness, and therefore our ability to properly self-reflect.

These masterful words from Jesus provide the antidote:

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. ~ Matthew 7:3-5

Instead of seeing people as others, we must see them as brothers. All worldviews insist on shared ancestry; we must embody this truth and erase our hypocritical silos. Instead of being consumed with their faults, we must focus on ours.

As Jesus points out, we should assume our own hypocrisy is the greater issue. We have the giant log, not the tiny speck. It’s a log of self-deception. A log of duplicity. It is more dangerous to the world than we dare imagine. Our prideful thinking causes damage to those whose eyesight we try to help. We are blindfolded surgeons who have no business at the operating table.

For the world to be whole, nations must be whole. For nations to be whole, cities and towns must be whole. For cities and towns to be whole, neighborhoods must be whole. For neighborhoods to be whole, families must be whole. For families to be whole, each person must be whole. For each person to be whole, you must be whole. For you to be whole, you must imitate the most whole person you can find.

In my personal journey in life I have found no other person more complete, whole, and gracious than Jesus Christ. As Jesus taught, we must take off the blindfold of otherness. Erasing the dependency on useless segregation, stop profiling the protagonists, and quit blaming people for things they haven’t done. 

Instead, see ancestry. See blood. Live as family under God’s parenthood.

Otherness is ultimately about comparative fairness. Not fair and equal treatment under the law, that’s something we should all strive for. But the collective envy of equitable living. Faced with global suffering and death we quickly see the error. Nothing is ever even—happiness is never found in comparisons with the others.

When an over preoccupation with fairness rules our thinking, it’s easy to reinforce social divisions and create winners and losers; risking the trivialization of true injustice. An obsession with fairness prevents us from accepting, recognizing, and even valuing the differences in ability, talents, and resources that naturally exist. Unfortunately, when our main focus is social imbalance, we miss opportunities to show kindness.

Power over oneself is no longer equal enough, power over the others seems necessary now too. We must take stock of our own speech and thoughts around power—not the authority of greater responsibility—but power that seeks to elevate us above the others. And if power cannot be gained, then perhaps it can be diminished or undermined. Whatever it takes to make it all even.

This virus of division is putting us all at odds. It’s spreading malice. Instead of helping the weak, it uses them. Claiming representative power never granted. Filling mouths with words never spoken. Social equity sounds almost Christian at times, yet this modern spin certainly is not.

These masterful words about Jesus provide the antidote:

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

~ Philippians 2:4-8

Jesus rejected the pursuit of fairness. He did not seek the feelings of human elevation, applause, and evenness. He did not broadcast His power as if life was a competition to win. Jesus modeled the best way to live, humble self-sacrifice. Meekness. Establishing healthy boundaries, yet never disrespecting the image of God in people.

Insecurity breeds self-exaltation. Even verbal attempts to establish power are, at some level, defensive threats. They initiate combat. True power—by its very nature—does not need to convince anyone of its position. There is no self-soothing or constant reassurance. It maintains peace by its simple presence.

Christians believe Jesus is God-in-the-flesh. The creator Himself, yet personal and tangible. Stepping into our shoes. Entering our limitations and pain. Suffering like us. Dying on a cross as an act of substitution. Offering a clean slate to all who will believe. To have great power like this—but not count it as something to be used—gives Christians the greatest role model, leader, and savior. 

People always imitate the inspirational. We want a champion who can win and impart courage. Do your cultural heroes help you through this time of suffering? Do they inspire heroic self-sacrifice? Do they give confidence about life and death? If not, the hero of Christianity can.

The coronavirus is a reminder that the greatest way to live and die is like Jesus; quietly using the power we have for the benefit of others, and rejecting temptation to rivalry and blame. Sharing grace. Laying our lives down for others. Accepting the uneven reality of paradise fallen. Facing death as a gateway, not a cliff.

Jesus changed the world by becoming powerless. He erased the dividing lines of otherness. He gave. He served. He did the opposite of what our culture teaches, and it paid off. By denying Himself, by putting others first, He changed the world more than anyone could ever dream. 

Those who find security and hope in Christ experience selfless love and grace. Rather than boasting their way into confidence, they receive Christ’s calm strength. They have true power because they trust in the one who promises life beyond the grave and gives hope each day.

The search for truth, in this moment of spiritual awakening, is a search for clarity. It’s a search for understanding that doesn’t violate our intellect, but gives trustworthy assurance. We need to discover a better worldview to replace the one we’ve invented. With hearts currently despairing, our minds might accept higher wisdom. 

To hope in God is not foolish. The very idea of a transcendent God puts all other entities in the limited and vulnerable basket. We are in the less smart, less wise, and less able non-God group. Because we are not God, we are susceptible to hardship and suffering; liable to think we understand life until it hits us in the face.

This unavoidable conclusion leads to another. The only unmovable and limitless source of strength, hope, and wisdom is in God—and nothing else. That doesn’t mean faith is straightforward. But like the unsolved mystery between general relativity and quantum mechanics, there is a healthy amount of mystery between God’s power and human freedom.

The injustice in the world does not make God unjust, and is an insufficient reason to deny His existence. In fact, worldly injustice highlights the need for cosmic justice...which only God can deliver. Christians believe the world was once a paradise. Where humanity had a direct relationship with its Maker. We believe the gift of free-will relationships—for people to love without coercion—was exploited and tragically caused our fall from grace. We are still living with the consequences of this original pride. 

The human race is in exile from God. It’s no wonder the world is broken.

The timeless message of the Bible is this: Jesus is the bridge back to paradise.

This is a moment of spiritual awakening.

Will you open your eyes?