COVID-19: Fatal attractions
Few words have described COVID-19 as accurately as the words of Ghanaian writer Ernest Agyemang Yeboah: “while some people inspire, others conspire!” It seems like the pandemic has brought the best out of many, and the worst out of others.
During a recent visit to Georgia in the USA, we had the joy of visiting the Monastery of the Holy Spirit near Conyers, not far from Atlanta. The monastery is wholly dedicated and fully committed, to contemplation. The monks devote themselves to the worship of God in a hidden life within the monastery. We obtained a deep spiritual insight when we spoke to one of the monks and asked him what made him join the monastery. “I didn’t join because I am holy,” he said “I joined because I am attracted to Holiness”
I felt the Holy Spirit birthing something new in my heart and we left the monastery with a new sense of purpose. Not only to pursue holiness but to discover an attraction to that which is pure, lovely, wholesome and admirable (Philippians 4:8).
This is in essence the message that Christianity offers. Christ was attracted to the good in people while the religious leaders pointed to the bad in people. Jesus befriended prostitutes, He sat with the tax collectors, He interacted with Roman soldiers, and He assisted Samarians. The Lord embraced the outcasts, delivered the possessed, touched the untouchables, sat with the unwanted and dined with the despised. And yes, He even put up with stubborn, self-righteous, politically motivated disciples. Christ was attracted to liberty – not bondage, the Lord’s favour – not the Fathers judgement, recovery – not suspicion. (Luke 4:18) Our redeemer was never attracted to speak out against the evil Roman Empire, the malicious religious leaders or the wickedness of the time. He came to proclaim the GOOD news of the Lord’s favour (Luke 4:19). Even at the point of death Jesus never lost His attraction to goodness by seeking scapegoats, by exposing the evil plans of His enemies, by calling His crucifiers the Antichrists or by pointing fingers to the corrupt Roman Empire and religious leaders as a New World Order. He was attracted to the good in those that sought to harm Him – “they know not what they do”; and He implored heaven on their behalf- “Father forgive them…”
In short, when the Word became flesh, He was attracted to goodness because God is good.
The Bible is uncompromising in this regard. As Christians, we are not instructed to seek and expose evil. We are instructed to think about (Philippians 4:8) whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – anything that is excellent or praiseworthy. Think about such things.
The object of the apostle here is not a call to holiness but a call to be attracted to the virtues that will lead to holiness, and to show that the Gospel of Christ requires all its followers to have the mind that was in Christ. Our attractions will ultimately reveal our thoughts and our thoughts will guide our hearts.
But there is also a second question we need to ask ourselves. What kind of people do I attract? My vibe will not only attract my tribe, but it will also be a public display of my values.
The saying, “your vibe attracts your tribe” therefore holds as much a blessing as it presents a danger. It simply means that we attract people who share the same values, priorities, likes, and dislikes as we do. If we are always the dumping ground of conspiracy theories then I need to ask myself what it is that attracts negative people to confide in me. It is always good to discover yourself by identifying the people you feel comfortable with. It exemplifies the truth that we become like the people we associate with. Negative people seldom find the “positive tribe” a place of natural dwelling, and vice versa.
So, if you are suddenly surrounded by negative people who only find their joy in conspiracy theories, criticizing everything and everyone, the chances are good that you are negative as well, even though you might not recognize it. Bad company corrupts good character. Friends that don’t help us fly will ultimately want us to crawl.
Perhaps the most comprehensive expression of the company we are attracted to are the words of Colin Powell, 65th United States Secretary of State and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He wrote the following on the company we keep:
“The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity. An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people. With some people, you spend an evening, with others you invest. Be careful where you stop to inquire for directions along the road of life. Wise is the person who fortifies his life with the right friendships. If you run with wolves, you will learn how to howl. But, if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.”
Contemplate this deep spiritual principle for a moment and ask yourself these two questions. What am I attracted to, and whom do I attract?