We’re three weeks into 2026 and for many people the world over, it’s been an exhausting 2000 years. Each day seems to bring new levels of chaos:
The United States attacked Venezuela and arrested its president. ICE agents in Minneapolis shot and killed a woman, tear-gassed a baby, and wrongfully detained an American citizen after entering his home without a warrant. Anti-ICE protesters disrupted the worship gathering at a St. Paul church when it was revealed that one of its pastors is, allegedly, an acting ICE official, further fueling anxiety and anger.
The Department of Justice continuing to fail in its responsibility to release the Epstein Files. The Department of Homeland Security’s social media accounts post content that, allegedly, echoes White Supremacist rhetoric. And President Trump has “joked” about cancelling elections, declared that the United States must annex Greenland—either for national security reasons, for natural resources, or, as he himself told the Prime Minister of Norway, because he’s angry about not receiving the Nobel Peace Price—and further alienated the nation’s largest trade partners.
And, gang, it’s only been three weeks, and I’m barely scratching the surface.
Living in Abnormal Times
We do not live in normal times, something I’m sure we can all agree upon, no matter our partisan affiliations. And in that spirit, before I go further, let me be clear: this article is not about the President. This is about the exhaustion that has come with the first year of his second term. More than that, it’s about the ever-widening division between Americans in general, and within the church.
Every single event I mentioned above is divisive. Some will see certain events as good things for the nation. Others will see them as dangerous. Some will attempt to justify one side’s actions while vilifying the other. And here’s the thing: with many of these issues, the most exhausting thing is that, with every new event, we’re being pulled farther apart.
Two Things Can Be True at Once
When it comes to several of these events, it’s possible to believe that two things can be true at once. For example, to believe that it is important to enforce the nation’s immigration laws is entirely reasonable, and correct. It is also entirely right to insist that those laws be enforced justly and with respect to the dignity of all human beings, and with regard to their rights that are protected under the US Constitution. To believe that houses of worship should be protected from intrusion by federal agents seeking to detain worshipers, and that they should be protected from protesters seeking to disrupt a worship gathering is reasonable, and even correct. It’s entirely reasonable to believe that a nation has the right to protect its national security while also believing it is wrong to attempt to annex a sovereign nation.
We don’t have to choose. And the fact that, so often, we think we do only proves the point. We’re on a dark path, separated by partisanship and algorithms, where the far fringes of either side of the political spectrum are increasingly becoming their norms. A path that not only has national and global implications, but also threatens our souls. And we have an obligation as Christians to resist. To reject the simplistic either/or fallacies that are based in politics instead of morality. To believe the truth, and tell the truth, and live in light of the truth.
The Truth Will Set You Free
And here is the truth: We can’t expect people to change their minds when they’re presented with facts. Facts, data, and statistics don’t change people’s minds. There is no source objective or unbiased enough that can convince someone on either the far right or the far left that they might not be seeing things clearly. As much as any of us would like to believe we come to our views based on facts and reasons, we don’t. We come to them by feeling.
And those who are trying to influence us know this. So they will say whatever they need to make you feel powerless, afraid, and angry. To force you into simplistic either/ors. To make you feel hopeless.
It’s hard to hope when everything feels awful.
And I’m telling you this because we are not meant to live by lies. Lies keep us living in darkness. Lies don’t help us love our neighbors—lies make us hate them. We are meant for something better. We are meant to live by the truth. And truth is what we need, especially in this moment. Truth, like love, casts out fear. Truth frees us to love those God loves and to pursue justice on their behalf. And truth lets us say, “Vengeance is the Lord’s” (Romans 12:19).
We live in exhausting times. They’re exhausting because they are filled with chaos, and we are being pulled in so many directions, being torn apart. And we cannot ignore what is happening around us. But if we want to live faithfully in these exhausting times, we need to cling to the truth, especially the truth that God has not abandoned us. He has not left us to our own devices. He is at work, even when it might be hard to see—and at the right time, he will make all things right (Revelation 21:5).
That’s the truth we need. And it’s the truth that I hope we believe.
Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash
