Please congratulate me. I’m the new owner of a robo dwarf hamster! Oh, boy! If you want to know more about how this happened check out Amy’s blog: (https://amysmallwood.com/2017/09/24/the-day-i-bought-a-hamster/?fb_action_ids=1982172892040091&fb_action_types=news.publishes).

Just a few weeks ago we moved our college kid out of the house. And this weekend we moved Cosmo the hamster into the house. In case you didn’t know, hamsters are a lot like college kids – they sleep all day and party all night. This crazy hamster keeps the wheel in his cage spinning all night long. Ugh! I find myself screaming in my mind, “Just quit the crazy already!”

Perhaps we all find ourselves screaming that phrase in our heads lately. It seems as though this world has just gone crazy. It’s spinning out of control with anger, hate, and ever-widening division. Even the non-football fan was not immune to this weekend’s escalation of events. As I process everything internally, have conversations with others, and follow the heart-breaking dialogue on social media, I keep saying to myself, “Can we just quit the crazy already?”

Before you stop reading, this is not another editorial essay, positional opinion or slanted critique. We’ve been studying through the book of Titus at Aldersgate. This week we came upon these words:

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Titus 3:1-2 (ESV)

There’s no doubt the issues are very real. The schism can’t be denied. Wounds are deep. Convictions are fierce. The right words are often fleeting. But if we are going to stop the crazy, we’ve got to find a way to step off the spinning wheel of biting words, hurtful actions, and outright maliciousness toward others. We must find ways to engage those of differing opinions with gentleness and courtesy. Engagement is paramount. Divisions are restored by listening and acting. Divisions are widened by name calling and dismissing – a wheel that quickly spins out of control.

Can we just step off the wheel? What do we say? Can we just all work together to stop the crazy already?