Articles
Beyond Victimhood
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“Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims?” (Num. 14:3)
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The Israelites who screamed this complaint against Moses cared deeply about their families. They had already endured a grueling journey through a harsh wilderness; now they faced a strong enemy with the power to kill all the men and enslave their wives and children. This was not what they signed up for.
Like the Israelites, our culture is obsessed with victimhood. We turn a spotlight on all the problems that make life difficult for us, and demand that the powers-that-be fix them. The rise of Critical Theory in recent years only exacerbates the crisis, creating a growing list of victim groups that compete for attention in a society that cannot possibly alleviate all their grievances.
Like the Israelites, the real dilemma we are currently facing is not the systemic sins of society--which are legitimate--but how we as individuals choose to respond to them. By viewing ourselves as victims of sinister forces outside our control, we set ourselves on a downward spiral of defeatism. Our self-imposed victim status cripples us in a variety of ways:
- It blinds us to what is good in our lives. We can never appreciate the positives in our lives, which in our prosperous society are significant.
- By focusing all our attention on intractable problems outside our control, rather than the character flaws we can control, it renders us incapable of self-improvement. We're stuck in a pattern of mediocrity out of which we will never grow.
- It cripples our ability to be of service to others. We are too obsessed with our own discomforts to recognize the contributions that we could make toward creating a better world--instead of burning down the world that exists.
- What's worse, it breeds a dark spirit of bitterness and resentment, a spirit that harms everyone around us--and ourselves more than anyone.
Ironically, by fixating on their identity as victims, the Israelites became the victims they believed themselves to be. But their fate was not inevitable, if they had only looked to God for help and opened their eyes to the possibilities that lay before them.
Yes, life is hard. But the future belongs to those who, with the eye of faith, look beyond the struggles of the moment to the hope that lies beyond. Believe in God, do your best, and enjoy the journey.
-- David
