Daily Lesson for April 23, 2015

Today's daily lesson comes from Daniel chapter 5 verses 

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king . . . “I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind . . . until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven . . . And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

It is so easy for all of us to get so caught up in the issues of the day that we lose our sense of human kindness. In these anxious times we are now living in it is so easy to get caught up in making enemies of people on the other side of the political aisle. Sensational media constantly fuels the whole drama, profiting off of its own 24/7 demonization of political leaders.  It is a type of warfare; and just like in any other war the first casualty is truth and the mortal risk is the human soul. 

Just like in all generations, there are substantive issues to be addressed in this one.  But they should be addressed civilly and without resort to our calling one another Godless, soulless, demon-possessed, or whatever other manner of evil will surely be heard on tonight's news.  There has to be another way.

Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the great workers for peace in both this and the last century, once reflected on what kind of change is necessary in how we see and speak to those in power and those on the opposing side of an issue:

"The people in the movement can write very good protest letters, but they are not yet able to write love letters. We need to learn to write to the Congress and to the President of the United States letters that they will not put in the trashcan. We need to write the kind of letter that they will like to receive. The way you speak, the kind of language you use and the kind of understanding you express should not turn people off.  Because the people you write to are also persons like all of us."

The prophet Daniel did just this in today's lesson. He told the king the hard truth that because the king was arrogant the kingdom would be taken from him. Yet, because Daniel spoke his truth clearly and without malice, the king respected him and actually even honored  him.

To be right on an issue is one thing; but to be honored even by one's opponent is quite another. This is something to be strived after today. For as Jesus said, "Love your enemies; bless and do not curse."  These are words found in the Bible; and these have a far great chance of changing our world than whatever vitriol we will hear tonight on the news. 

In fact, they are the only words which have any chance at all.