Love Is Not Indifferent
In 18th century Britain, there were about 10,000 chimney-sweeps, a job done by children from 4 years-old and older, who were doing this brutal job. The law all but enslaved them since they could be beaten or put in prison if they tried to stop doing it. This harsh law suited the upper class, though, since they didn’t want to pay for a rebuilt chimney. This gross injustice continued for over 100 years until a bill was slipped through Parliament without the awareness of its ‘inattentive’ members (Johnson, The Offshore Islanders, p 286).
Although there certainly must be consideration for the possibility of an honest moral blind spot about a matter (Ps 19:12, CW), spiritual and moral indifference is a serious matter. It is contrary to love. It allows evil to triumph. Further, it jeopardizes our own future. Jesus will knock on the door of our heart for so long but we are in danger of being vomited out of His mouth if we remain indifferent to Him and His beckoning (Rev 3:16). “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, preserved their neutrality” (Dante). We are to hate evil (Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9).
So why are we indifferent? We might genuinely be oblivious that our response is wrong. Perhaps we feel overwhelmed already: “What makes people hard-hearted is this, that each man has, or fancies he has, as much as he can bear in his own troubles” (Arthur Schopenhauer). In addition, we could be lazy or concerned about what involvement in doing right may cost us. Yet, indifference costs us spiritual strength we otherwise could have had (Prov 24:10-11, NAB). We come under God’s temporal and/or eternal judgment (Obad 1:11).
Maybe we honestly do care but are called to focus our time and attention in other areas. We are not called to be involved in trying to right every injustice (2 Cor 10:13). However, we should do what we reasonably can. Sign a petition, express our opinion, give money to those called to more diligent efforts, pray. We can all do something about those matters which He repeatedly brings to our attention.
Happiness is a result of changing our way of thinking.