How To Stay Human in 2026

The First Step👣

A few days into the new year, the world reminded us yet again how complicated it can be. On January 3rd, a major international operation unfolded in Venezuela. Its goal was to capture a controversial leader accused of serious crimes. Some people are celebrating it. Others are condemning it. Some applaud justice. Others decry the legality of how it was done.

Social media lit up with half truths and hot takes. People standing on opposite sides, ready to argue, ready to judge, ready to prove themselves right.

But in the middle of all that noise sits something far quieter and far more important: real human suffering. The Venezuelan people are the ones living through hardship, uncertainty, and daily struggle. They are the ones who matter most in this story, even though they are often the last names we scroll past.

That is what caught my heart this week, how easily we jump into argument instead of empathy, and how quickly we miss the humanity of those who suffer.

The Pebble in My Path🚶🏽

In times like this, it seems the world picks a side and forgets the struggle behind the headlines. There are people who have lived under oppression for decades. They rejoice at change. Their joy is valid. Their pain is real.

At the same time, the way this operation was carried out raises serious concerns. International law, sovereignty, the rule of law, these are not abstract concepts. They matter because they protect the vulnerable. And when they are violated, even for what looks like a good reason, we should feel uneasy.

But instead of feeling empathy and holding both truths at once, so many rush to posture, to argue, to score points, to prove who is right and who is wrong.

What we are seeing is not just political conflict.

It is the great sickness of our time, division without compassion.

The Compass🧭

In a world that is more polarized, louder, and faster than ever, we need a compass that does not spin with the latest headline. We need something that does not depend on which side wins or loses. We need something that stays rooted in truth, mercy, and love.

Jesus gave us such a compass.

He did not say to the world, “Win the argument and I will follow you.”

He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

He said, “Bless those who persecute you.”

He said, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

There is no political agenda in those words.

There is no partisan platform.

There is no tribe.

There is only a call to be better humans.

If we measure our compassion by who is right, then the world is always losing.

But if we measure our compassion by who is hurting, then the world can start healing.

The Word of God does not tell us to stop thinking or stop caring about justice.

What it asks is that we never lose sight of the people behind the politics.

That we do not become voices of judgment while forgetting to be ambassadors of grace.

The compass Jesus gave us points not to division, but to unity through mercy.

It does not tell us whom to support politically.

It tells us whom to love personally.

The Open Trail🛣️

So as this year begins, let this be our practice:

Choose empathy before argument.

Choose curiosity before certainty.

Choose compassion over winning.

None of us have all the answers about geopolitics, law, history, or economics.

But every one of us can choose to extend grace.

Every one of us can choose to honor the suffering of others.

Every one of us can choose to listen before we judge.

The Venezuelan people are not meme fodder.

They are human beings with families, dreams, and scars.

And they deserve our compassion first, and our opinions second.

The world will continue to get complicated. We cannot stop that.

But we can choose how we respond.

Let 2026 be the year we learn to say:

I see your pain.

I do not have all the answers.

I will love anyway.

Because that is the compass that will never fail us.

And that is the peace the world is longing to see.

Stay barefoot.

Stay honest.

Stay close to the ground.

– Barefoot Gospel👣