Apathy - who cares?

Remember that irritating phrase - "whatever?" that was part of the American conversation for a few years? It was a way to casually sidestep commitment or opinion, "whatever, dude." It was the catch phrase of the stereo-typical detached young adult, intent on but one thing - having fun. Anything that asked for engagement, that required thought or effort, that would be costly was met with "Whatever!" I reacted viscerally to the whole thing. I couldn't be blasé in the company of such apathy. Curiously, it aroused something akin to rage in me! The phrase had faded from usage but not the attitude of apathy it represented. For many people, there is a studied indifference to life, to human need; yes, to God Himself.

Apathy comes to us from Latin roots - 'a' which means without; and "pathos" which means, feeling or emotion. There are multiple causes for the development of detachment. Depression is one common cause. Fatigue is another. Some people go at life or some problem full speed ahead, giving their all, and they burn out! When their expectations are frustrated, others do not respond with similar passion for the 'cause,' or their efforts make little difference, they are spent, disillusioned, and apathy results. I'd suggest that there is an even more common cause of apathy than any of the above - Self-absorption! We fall in love with ourselves, our comfort, our TV's, our diversions and games, and our exercise regimes. Our focus in life shifts from purposeful living in the service of Christ and others to ourselves. Because we are so 'busy' we live with the illusion that our lives are full and rich when, in fact, many of us are accomplishing little or nothing of value - frittering away the precious moments of life on worthless, empty activities that feed our self-centeredness!

The call of God is that we are passionate people, who care deeply. When asked how to please God, Jesus did not say, "Live a balanced life - making sure to get 8 hours of sleep each night, taking your exercise regularly, getting your manicure and massage, and scheduled vacations." The kind of life He requires is wildly passionate, engaged - "...love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” Luke 10:27-29 (The Message) Love of this quality is the very opposite of the apathy that marks the lives of so many people.

Jesus went on in that same passage to tell a story that illustrates the kind of love He is looking for in us. It's a familiar parable and many of you will be tempted to skim it, but I want to urge you to slow down and savor the words of the Master. He said,
“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
“By chance a Jewish priest came along; but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two pieces of silver and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill runs higher than that,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’
“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” Luke 10:30-37 (NLT)

Two morally upright, religious, but self-absorbed men saw the bloody, beaten man by the road, but felt that their agenda was more important than loving another. With studied indifference they walked on by. I wonder if they said a quick prayer to soothe their consciences? But another, a person from a group that was felt to be morally and religiously inferior, let his heart be touched by the plight of another human being. He set aside his own plans and, at significant cost to himself, got involved! Jesus command? Go and do the same!

Think you can't make a difference, that your efforts are like a drop in the bucket?
Serve where you have opportunity. Make the difference for one, or two. Leave the rest to God and those He calls to serve alongside of you.

When we appear before Jesus to give an accounting of the way we used our resources and opportunities - He won't ask if we changed the world. He'll ask, "were you faithful?"

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ -- Matthew 25:34-40 (The Message)