Power (Dys)functions

It’s easy to judge people in power based on headlines…“What a corrupt leader”...“What an egomaniac”...“I would never act like that.” Comparison can be deceptive. It blinds us to the quieter ways we misuse power in our own lives. In Genesis 16, we see a time when Abraham’s wife, Sarah, dealt with her disappointments by using Hagar as a means to an end. Instead of seeing her as a person to be loved, she became a problem to solve—and then someone to cast aside. We may not see ourselves as powerful, but we do the same in subtle ways: using anger to control our children, dismissing coworkers as lazy, or elevating ourselves by diminishing others. What would it look like to confront the quiet ways we misuse power and begin restoring our view of every person through the humble, self-giving love of Jesus’ cross?