I continue to be frustrated with the catastrophic failure of Christians to even remotely resemble Christ. As I griped about that to a good friend last Sunday, he noted that the story of God’s people is one of catastrophic failure.

It’s also interesting to note that the Psalms are a hymnal consisting of more songs of lament (65 or so) than any other type. So maybe there’s something to expressing lament that isn’t just complaining…

I wonder if I’m stuck on this because I haven’t worked out my own way of lamenting. It doesn’t help that our culture – especially in Christendom – looks down on non-smiling, non-extroverted people. But what if we have something genuinely worth lamenting? We can’t ignore the problem.

What kind of outcome will lamenting bring?

The prophets did a lot of lamenting. And they got an amazing positive response from Israel when they did. No wait. They were largely despised and ignored. It wasn’t until after catastrophic failure – like enslavement – that Israel finally turned back to God. So maybe I need to change my expectations of ridding the world of Dave Ramsey followers, the patriarchy, and economic inequality. Maybe I shouldn’t expect anything to change. And why should it? Who am I? I might have 20 people that read these words.

Why waste time lamenting then?

First off, it’s therapeutic for you. I find blogging a wonderful way to say what I need to say; it has nothing to do with saying what I want you to hear. I just need to air it almost like a confession. To get it off my chest.

Second, when the time comes for that point of catastrophic failure, someone somewhere will be able to point back and say “Here’s how we can dig ourselves out.” It’s prep work. Which is to say that it’s really unsatisfying work because I shouldn’t expect to ever see positive change on a large scale.

What about individual change?

I feel like the answer lies here, embedded in our purpose to be and to make disciples. I may be able to influence a couple people along the way. How many disciples (not converts!) do you really think you can make in a lifetime? I dare say only a handful.

But if I’m honest, that’s not doing it for me. I want to make a difference or at least not feel like I’m being economically abused for most of my life.