January 14

Worldly Sorrow

Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

––2 Corinthians 7:8-10

I’ve decided that I just can’t watch metro news anymore. You know, the stories that your local network or news outlet run about events ––mostly terrible or tragic—happening in your area. From local politicians getting their hands caught in the cookie jar, to house fires, murders, and car accidents.

It’s not because I don’t care. I think some people are wired to handle sad story after story, but I’ve determined that it’s not particularly healthy for me. As an empath, I just soak up all that tragedy and it can literally leave me in a sorrow stupor. I also realize that I can’t live in denial or ignorance. It’s a fine line of balancing the types and amounts of news I watch with what’s healthy for me.

I will quickly add that I DO follow the news—national, world, and regional. I think it’s important for us as God’s men to stand like watchmen on the walls of society, discerning the times, praying the news, and staying informed on what’s going on. This allows the Holy Spirit to use our knowledge and direct it. Unrest in Haiti? “Here’s a great non-profit that is feeding people there,” says the Holy Spirit. Civil War and famine in South Sudan? “Here’s a ministry that brings tons of food and medicine to the most desperate areas.”

But for me and metro news? It’s hard. So much tragedy, and so much of it very close to home. As today’s opening verse says, worldly sorrow leads to death, while godly sorrow leads to redemption. While we will cover godly sorrow more deeply in tomorrow’s reading, suffice to say, this is the kind of sorrow that God wants us to take on.

Worldly sorrow, on the other hand, just brings us down. Specifically, when tragedy and injustice invade our space, as God’s men it’s our responsibility to process it in a way that honors God. “So what does that look like, Kenny?” Great question. For instance, where I live teens whizzing in and out of traffic on e-bikes is a thing. We’re talking kids who aren’t old enough to drive (legal age in California is 16), but who seemingly have “out-grown” riding a regular bike. Tragically, a 15-year-old boy was killed recently near where I live. Without getting into the details of fault, etc., here’s how I processed that:

1. This makes me very sad, Father, especially as a Dad and grandfather.
2. I can’t control the fact that I’m aware of this tragedy or deny the fact that it really saddens me.
3. Father, help me know how I’m to respond—donate to an organization that advocates for e-bike safety and laws, perhaps. And of course, pray for the people involved.

Prayer is action. Sometimes it’s the only action God calls us to take when we are hit with worldly sorrow—the type generated by the sins or fallibility of people, or even when tragedy isn’t anyone’s fault. Other times, God will call us to move beyond prayer and get involved (volunteering, donating, etc.).

As you filter the sadness of the world that hits you every day, stay in tune with the Holy Spirit. Don’t ignore or deny the world, but be “in it” with a posture of awareness and godly response, without being “of it” to the point that the sins of man incapacitate you or otherwise side-line you from your assignments as God’s man in the world.

Father, help me strike a healthy balance with the amount and type of news I ingest, and help me know where, when, and how I can get involved.