“I’m not hostile, I’m just indifferent.” I’ve heard this phrase more than once to describe a person’s attitude toward God or others. But is indifference truly harmless? Is it neutral in its impact on relationships? To answer these questions, we need only examine the feelings of the person on the receiving end of indifference.
Let’s look at two examples. The first happened to my friend. Her father ended up in the hospital, and after a few weeks, he unexpectedly passed away. From the moment he was hospitalized up until the funeral, none of her other siblings helped in any way, although they lived nearby. How do you think my friend interpreted their indifference? How would you?
My second example comes from Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Prize-winning author. At the age of 15, he was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and then to Buchenwald. Most of his family died in the Holocaust. We can feel his pain as we read one of his most famous quotes: “The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.” (1)
When the very people who should care are indifferent towards us, it hurts. Not only that, we often take it as a subtle form of hostility. If we react in this way, how do you think it is with God? Why should he be any different?
Before going on, I’ll admit that we can’t possibly care about everyone and everything. But there are some things towards which we should never be indifferent. On this list (by no means complete), I’d place God first, because he’s our Creator and we’ll face him one day. Next are our family and friends, and then people in life-or-death situations that we’re in a position to help.
I’ve raised this topic not to point the finger at anyone else. Quite the contrary. I find that when it comes to God, I can use indifference as an excuse just as much as anyone else. But with a twist: “I’m not disobedient; I’m just indifferent.” I’ve noticed that if I’m not careful, I can convince myself that simply ignoring God’s will isn’t the same as rebelling. After all, I’m not actively opposing God, am I? I’m just indifferent.
Really? Who am I fooling? Certainly not God! He knows that my “indifference” is really a choice. A choice to disobey. How do you think he feels? The Bible makes clear that he is grieved because of our sin. In fact, I think his pain and disappointment are even greater than ours because he sees our hearts more clearly.
So the next time I find myself ignoring a command from God that I consider inconvenient, I need to recognize my action for what it really is: disobedience, not indifference.
And I’d better get my act together.
(1) Elie Wiesel, “One Must Not Forget,” interview by Alvin P. Sanoff, U.S. News & World Report, October 27, 1986.