The last couple of days have been marked by signs of transition.
One of my friends left for Black Rock City for Burning Man.
Another is moving out to South Carolina after decades in California.
And yesterday, Senator McCain, a many my grandmother supported 18 years ago, passed away, leaving a definite legacy.
And yet, people, even on the eve of his passing cannot engage in civil discourse.
To that I leave the following comment
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
2 Peter 2:10 NKJV
Many of these posts on Preisdent Trump, President Obama, and Senator McCain carry some sort of spiritual defilement, probably because the authors have forgotten the true enemy.
“If your enemy has a driver’s license and a Social Security number you have the wrong enemy.”
-Ed Silvoso-
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. But rather [we wrestle] against the rulers, against the authorites, against the cosmic rulers of this darkness, and against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies.” (Ephesians 6:12 My own translation).
We are in a season of transition, marked by transition.
SLG stopped shipping on yesterday, my brother’s birthday, and restarts shipping on September 5th, my son’s birthday. The first set of blessings of the new business, the LLC in South Carolina, was delivered on my best friend’s anniversary, as well as the anniversary of the establishment of the first European settlement on US soil: Fort Caroline.
I am concerned that we as a people do not know how to walk well through transitions. And while I disagree with the prophecies that Trump was this or that, I do say, he was still elected to serve us. And we should be praying for him.
We should be praying for those transitions to be what G-d wants them to be.
I despise either a posture of gushing and kowtowing or lambasting.
I hazard to say that part of the reason we still deal with devourings with our own seasons, is in part because we with our authority curse the transitions of others.
I have personally come to despise, for example, the 18 months preceeding an election. Because you know what is going to happen in this land we call the United States. The same tired prophecies and antiprophecies are going to come out vaunting or lambasting this or that person.
We as Americans love a good bloody slugfest that marks transitions.
And for whatever reason, we have yet to learn that these bloodbaths and cursings do not establish our position, but rather, envulnerate our position.
We have shown repeatedly that we prefer the gruesome bloodbath of Fort Matanzas instead of the gracious peace of Fort Caroline.
Great points, which serve as not just necessary, but urgent reminders. Collectively, the public and private battle of words for and against this, shooting across the bow and sniping against that, create a subtle fatigue within each self appointed judge, warrior, or whatever you think you are in those moments, which makes it easier to continue doing just that. Words flow easily but the damage you inflict on your own spirit and soul in so doing, tends to go unrecognized long after the words have left your lips. Many lives display the effects of that infliction to the trained eye.
I sometimes disagreed with Senator McCain’s politics, but he left us a gemstone of a legacy. What I will remember is that he chose to suffer debilitating imprisonment with his fellow U.S. servicemen as a POW, knowing full well it could cost him his life, rather than take the privilege of release based on who his father was, without them. I’m convinced that scant few of those who run their gobs, independent of anything other than what they’ve chosen to be offended about, would have the capacity to even consider a similar fate, much less do it.
Yes. Outstanding comments, friend.
Offense is just that: chosen. Just as others choose to be offensive, or defensive, the ends of all of these make the struggle between man and man. If, instead, we choose to realize the true focus is between us and G-d, just as with the ones who choose to offend, the offense is between the offender and G-d. Engaging in offense is allowing ourselves to be drawn off of our divinely appointed path. Offense is a spiritual “squirrel” that is best handled with prayer. “The enemy comes to kill and to kill and destroy. I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10.