Numbing Effect
Take notice you senseless ones among the people… Does [the God] who fashioned the ear not hear? Does [the God] who formed the eye not see? – Psalm 94:8-9 (NIV)
My favorite superhero is Spiderman. “Spider-sense” is amazing. Originating as a tingling feeling in the back of Spiderman’s head, spider-sense gives Spiderman the ability to sense a threat of imminent danger and thereby take preemptive action to avoid or rectify calamity. Even under normal conditions, spider-sense enables Spiderman to navigate darkened rooms while avoiding obstacles and hazards.
Spiders themselves are equipped with astute sensory organs. They sense the slightest movement or vibration through hairs and tiny slits distributed over much of their body. A spider’s sensitivity to danger is finely tuned.
We don’t have to be superheroes or spiders to sense when something is wrong. God has equipped us with certain spiritual, emotional, and intellectual sensors that allow us to be proactive in the contexts of imminent danger.
Yet it appears we are increasingly desensitized to the threats that loom ever before us.
The proliferation of mass homicides buoyed by the proliferation of militaristic weapons in our society has not yet provided sufficient incentive for sensible gun legislation. The ongoing depletions of the ozone layer, resulting in the increasing severity of floods and weather patterns on the planet, has not yet garnered the critical mass necessary to make climate change a national and global priority. American democracy is under the siege of voter suppression, political retribution, volatile rhetoric and disinformation, yet about half of American voters appear to be oblivious.
When an infant cries, it is a sign that something is not right. But when their cries go unattended for too long, infants stop crying and suffer in silence.
Our greatest human tragedy may well be the numbing of our God-given sensitivities.
Prayer
God, the handwriting on the wall is apparent. Move us to read and respond accordingly. Amen.
About the AuthorKenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Decatur, Georgia.