We live in interesting times. Developments on the domestic and global fronts have catapulted Liberia into the spotlight and presented us with challenges and opportunities unforeseen. As we reflect on these, the question comes: what to do?
Positioned as we are in the world, Liberia has often looked to the North and West for guidance and support. But in 203 years, we have seen the limitations of their will, pleasure, and power to respond. This has forced our faith into action. So, we know where to turn when trouble comes, war rages, food is scant on the table, and blessings abound.
This Thursday, the destination is as certain as ever. Our houses of worship will be packed with praying people thanking God for the personal, public, and - yes - political goods bestowed. Many of these we should be thankful for. Others, we should scrutinize as Trojan horses.
Either way, what will happen on the Monday following our respective services? Will we revert to rancor and criticisms, cancelling out the blessings that fell when praises went up? Or will we choose to apply spiritual principles more strategically, going forward?
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
Scripture commands thanksgiving, not "for," but "in all things... for this is the will of God, in Christ Jesus, concerning you." (1 Thes. 5:18) This requires us to distinguish providence from pitfall, be thankful for the former and for the treasures found in the pit. Not for the pit itself.
The Gospel of Matthew 25:29 explains the principle behind this: "For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them."
Social scientists interpret the Matthew Principle as describing ever-increasing disparities driven by the greed of the prosperous. The Bible presents it as a crucial choice. We keep what we acknowledge that we have, and more of the same is added to us. We lose what we dismiss as insignificant. Good things and bad. Both interpretations can be true at the same time.
Throwing a third verse into the mix brings the principle full circle: "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
Taken together, these passages offer both rich and poor a shoe that fits. They caution that the ravenous pursuit of gain is as much a tacit dismissal of present possessions as a poor man saying the shirt he wears does not exist. Both will lose it all. The cost of discontent accrues in currencies unknown, until it's time to pay the piper. And "no man knoweth the time nor the hour..."
Discernment, then, is key.
We rarely ask, before we pray, "What should we be thankful for?" This stems in part from a lack of self-knowledge. When we know who we are, what we have and are capable of, we then know what we need and do not. Then, we can say 'no' to the Trojans, their visas and Abregos, and the rope that hauls bushes yet unseen. And then, having sifted the sand from our own country rice, we can give thanks and digest the inexpensive richness of its nutrients. On the strength of that homegrown substance, we can go on devising our own definition of 'development,' fulfilling our own dreams, and building a nation true to itself. Can we get an 'amen'?
Every good sermon must end with an admonition and prayer point. Here are ours:
"You shall decree a thing, and it shall be established, and light shall shine upon thy way." (Job 22:28) Another scripture mistaken for advice when it is a law, it means whatever we speak, we create. Now, the self-fulfilling prophecies of sundry societal ills must end. Let's shift from "freedom of speech" to "speech of freedom."
Here goes: We are thankful for and decree that rain still falls as needed, in due season. That the Atlantic's pressure on our coast is subtle and recedes. That the wheels of state turn robustly, in a positive direction, under patriotic leadership. That the people are whole, enterprising, prosperous, and at peace. That they grow in knowledge and substance. That our children are safe, and their purposes, wants, and needs fulfilled. That our journalists and auditors alike are safe, sound, fearless, responsible, and effective.
We are thankful for and decree that the weapons formed against us have not prospered. That they are now plowshares and pieces of art. That, in the two centuries of shifting sovereignties, tribal tensions, and geopolitical jostling around and within our borders, we are still us, and we are still here, and we are still wealthy. And that we are sober, vigilant, wise, and humble, knowing well on Whom alone me must depend.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Having waxed ecclesiastical, we now close on a secular note - an excerpt from the famous song, Big Yellow Taxi, by Joni Mitchell:
"They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
They took all the trees,
Put 'em in a tree museum
And they charged all the people
A dollar and a half just to see 'em
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot."
May our thanksgiving be perpetual and avail us much.
