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Published: 14 January 2022

“Where Are the Workers?”

I read a couple of newspapers each week and follow the news on-line.  A topic that comes up regularly lately is the shortage of employees.  Just drive around and notice how many “Help Wanted” signs are out there.  I realize that this is a complex problem.  Many of the jobs are not where the people are.  Some people have decided they don’t want to work, for a variety of reasons.  I’ve read about the early retirement of baby-boomers. I’ve read about employee burn-out.  I’ve read about Covid concerns.  I’ve read about the desire to work remotely.  One thing I haven’t read about is the effect of abortion on the current labor shortage.  What would our Social Security situation look like if 62,000,000 more workers were paying into the fund?  Would we have an employee shortage if 62,000,000 more people were in the workforce?  I read last week in the Wall Street Journal that the labor shortage problem in China is getting so bad they are closing abortion clinics!  Not for the sanctity of human life, but for the benefit of the economic machine.  The one-child policy is starting to backfire and it won’t get turned around in a hurry.  I’m not an economist and a culture like ours looks down on simplistic solutions and reasoning.  Maybe more people means more problems 😊.  Here’s what I do know, I know that human life at all stages is sacred.  Disregarding the value of the image of God has consequences.  I wonder how things would be different if our culture actually honored human life in life-giving ways.   Let’s honor the Life-Giver by becoming life-givers and address the issues surrounding the sanctity of human life in life-giving ways.

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Published: 07 January 2022

“Reciprocity”

“And I thought we were friends.”  Ouch.  Has anyone ever said that to you?  Have you ever said that to someone else?  Implied in that statement is a hope for reciprocity.  Reciprocity means a mutual action is expected.  “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours,” is one of the statements that reflects the idea of reciprocity.   What if you do something for someone and they don’t do something back?  How do you feel?  What if you make a great sacrifice for someone and it goes unrecognized?  Does it mean your gift was rejected?  Does it mean what you did doesn’t matter?  It is very hard to give without strings attached.  It is difficult to act graciously toward a person without the desire that they will act graciously toward you.  We expect reciprocity.  Living in community is a lot easier with reciprocity.  It is good to love and be loved, to hear and to be heard, to know and be known.  But, what happens when you do all the loving, hearing and knowing and there is very little reciprocity?  Do you get angry?  Do you get exhausted?  Are you tempted to give up?  Our pattern for life in community is Jesus.  He reflects the disposition of the Father toward people.  Having a disposition like His is what it means to be made in His image.  Believers are connected in Christ, but living connected is another matter!  The painful reality is this, reciprocity in community is not a guarantee.  We’ll need more than reciprocity if we are going to survive Christian community.  More about that on Sunday.