What if Joe Biden and Donald Trump Hugged it Out?

I almost didn’t post this… The illustration and accompanying poem below were actually published 2 years ago in my book, EMDR Inspired Art and Poetry: A Meditation on Hope and Pain for Troubled Times.

I admit it, the image is strangely unsettling for obvious reasons. However, in light of the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, I felt compelled to resurrect it in hopes that it might grab our attention and draw us back to some basic, yet hard to swallow wisdom.

When I originally drew the image and wrote the poetry, the words of Jesus continued to echo in my mind… “You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.”

As an imperfect follower of Christ, these verses humble me. They expose what I know to be true not only from scripture, but also from my many years as an EMDR trauma therapist.

They remind me that for most of us, it feels good to stay in our tribes and feel self-righteous. Anger can be a natural response to injustice, and is important to pay attention to. However, it can also become like poison, slowly killing us from within, and then spreading to harm others. Anger can easily turn into hatred and contempt, and these emotions can feel empowering.

As a trauma therapist, I’ve learned that hatred is often a reflexive strategy… an automatic response in the nervous system to cope with anything from our past or present that threatens to make us feel helpless or out of control.

To make matters worse, it is far easier to hate than to love, especially if we can convince ourselves that the object of our wrath is evil or somehow sub-human. Dr. Jordan Peterson has rightly warned us that many have used this playbook before to destructive ends, and we are all in danger of falling into this insidious trap.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn perhaps summarized it best in his famous quote, “The line between good and evil runs not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart.”

At a time like this, we each have an opportunity to look in the mirror, examine our hearts, and get real. And if what we discover is butterflies, roses and unicorns, that’s a good sign we’re probably in denial.

Psalm 14 reminds us that, “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” And Romans 3 declares that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

We all need grace. We all need love. And we all need a Savior. And if we think we’re righteous apart from these things, it’s only because we’re using a warped measuring stick.

As a therapist, I’ve worked with hundreds of traumatized individuals. And I’ve learned that love does not mean agreement or being a doormat. It also doesn’t mean that certain causes aren’t worth standing up for. But without love, all our efforts are in vain. It’s just noise.

To love our enemies means to acknowledge that each one of us is created in the image of God, and as our founding fathers observed, it is from this reality that anything resembling human rights inevitably springs.

Loving our enemies means not only recognizing others as image-bearers of God, but praying that they experience God’s healing, blessing, and salvation… even if from our lofty vantage points we don’t think they deserve it (remember, none of us deserves it). We’re all in the same boat.

We all were born into this fallen world, and were once helpless babies, full of possibility. We were each knit together in our mothers’ wombs, and as the Psalmist writes, were “fearfully and wonderfully made.” And we were all so deeply loved, that Jesus died on the cross for us. Yes, Jesus died for our enemies. And He even forgave His enemies while they were crucifying Him.

Politics matters. Values matter. And there are causes worth standing up for.

But politics can’t save our souls.

On this somber day, let us pray for our political process and for our nation. Let us pray for Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and for their families. Let us pray for the victims of the shooting and for their families. Let us even pray for the family of the shooter.

But let us also pray that God would create within us clean hearts, and renew a right spirit within us. That we would have the courage to see the world through the eyes of Jesus, and perhaps find some hope and sanity in the midst of these difficult and troubled times.

*The poem below goes with my illustration. Written 2 years ago, it was an attempt to use imagery and metaphor to grasp at something so difficult to put into words.

——————-

If Only

by Mark Odland

I turned on the news today

Anchors in suits dredge up the world’s tears

Capitalizing on our hopes and fears

They speak of bilateral negotiations

Between hostile world powers

Wielding insecurity from their ivory towers

If only their powers pendulated

Between hearts and minds instead of nations

A grateful world would rise with standing ovations