Fight, Flight, or Light by Brady

The other day, I read a very upsetting article in the Dallas Morning News. It was about how in the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, business owners and citizens were leaving the city in large numbers. The problem for most of them is heavy taxes that are imposed. Now, you might be thinking, “I know all about taxes, and we all just have to deal with it.” The old saying goes: there are two guaranteed things in life, death and taxes. But, the taxes imposed on the Nuevo Laredo businessmen and women were not levied by the government. These taxes were put on by drug gangs that basically run the town. If you want to live and operate in Nuevo Laredo, you’re going to have to shell out the bucks to such gangs as the Zetas. Think Chicago in the era of mobsters but even worse. It might be hard to imagine, but these gangs are more ruthless and their drug industry is king. The citizens of Nuevo Laredo are fleeing because they see no hope. They are leaving because they do not want their families, or themselves, in danger. They are certainly tired of being bullied, but they look around and no one is coming to the rescue. It seems that everyone is scared and hoping if they can turn a blind eye to the problems, they might just go away.

Amongst many other feelings and thoughts, the article made me realize that goodness and righteousness just doesn’t happen by itself. The pursuit of goodness is just that, a pursuit. The problem in Nuevo Laredo started out small, and people certainly said, “this will go away.” They were afraid to do something, but nothing was yet out of hand. After a while, though, the problem became huge and people were really stuck and scared with no way out.

As a believer in Christ, I see certain problems and issues arising. I see people afraid to speak up in their faith. I see Christianity becoming almost a taboo idea in many ways. I see a shift in the understanding of things spiritual. Instead of spirituality and faith being intertwined with selflessness, truth, and ethics, it is becoming intertwined with self-gain and relativism.

I am not railing against things secular. I am not making a “we’re going to hell in a hand basket” kind of statement, either. I am stating that there is darkness in the world, and it seems that people are scared to speak up and claim truth. I see many people that are half-heartedly claiming a shallow faith based more on personal opinion and comfort rather than truth. Even the idea of “truth” itself is under question. (that’s a whole other blog topic)

Jesus Christ came as our hope in a world of darkness. He said He was the light (John 8:12), but He also said we are the light of the world, too (Matthew 5:14). I don’t blame the citizens of Nuevo Laredo for fleeing town. They are in a terribly difficult situation. In terms of faith, though, we cannot ignore the troubles around us. We cannot flee the world and hide out in a half-hearted personal faith. If WE are the light of the world, we must live that light in community in the community around us. People everywhere are desperate and hurting because they look around and see only darkness. May we be lights in the darkness, imitating the love and strength of Christ. When all the candles are taken out of a dark room, what’s left? But even if just one candle remains, the darkness cannot put out the light.