Actor Patricia Heaton, known for her roles in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,” reminded her fellow Christians on Friday that this world is not our home.
One Twitter user who described himself as a “fellow believer” told Heaton, who is Catholic, that he understands her sentiment but said her comment “feels escapist to me.”
“We are meant to serve Christ while we are here,” Heaton replied.
Another commenter responded to Heaton, writing, “Exactly how I feel. Both sides are yelling, ‘wake up,’ while there are blind spots on both sides. I’m a moderate conservative [and] get called names [because] of that. That’s OK. I’m a believer in Christ first [and] follow Him. This world is not my home, so I’ll love Him [and] others till I get there.”
“Exactly,” Heaton tweeted back.
Someone else told the celebrity that she “really needed to hear” Heaton’s encouragement. She went on to reference the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 12, writing, “We are told not to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our (own) mind. It’s very hard to get caught up with it all. It’s incredibly heavy.”
Heaton posted the edification after a tumultuous week. Her message is particularly applicable to Christians feeling discouraged by what happened Wednesday, when pro-Trump rioters broke into the U.S. Capitol, where Vice President Mike Pence and Congress were convening to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over outgoing President Donald Trump, who has argued the November election was stolen from him.
On Thursday night, Trump condemned the violence and committed himself to a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20, when Biden will assume office.
Several Christian leaders across the country were quick to condemn the violence that unfolded in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.