Peter denying Christ

The amazing thing to my mind about the times we are living in is how the truth and those who love it, seek it, share it, and defend it are so hated…just as “the world” has us all striving to be “liked”. Most Americans cannot relate to those who have lived under absolute tyranny…even though many of us are waking up to how much of our freedom is a lie. Tyranny always begins with bars around the mind to keep certain thoughts out, and others in.

The fact is we are each of us born to connect with God. It’s as inherent in our being as the magnetic north-seeking compass needle. Left to our own devices every single one of us, though we would bob and weave in directions of our own self-interest and the multitude of shiny objects, would invariably come back to center ourselves to true north. Although we can be expert at resisting, avoiding, and dodging the Shepherd we shall not want, we know in our heart of hearts we are straying from what we are ultimately supposed to be. If we are fortunate enough to be in the company of good truth-seeking shepherds, teachers, and mentors, our destiny is assured. Sadly, no…tragically, this is not the reality most Americans are living today. Most Americans are led, manipulated, coerced, encouraged, influenced, pressured, bribed, and bought away from our connection with the God who loves us all beyond human comprehension…by “It”.

Before 2008 I was a generally “liked” person in my rural New York corner of the world. But that was before the cultural poison of “Identity Politics” was injected into the American bloodstream as the opiate of Obama’s promised Fundamental Transformation. Over the course of the next ten years my likeability faded as I gradually shed customers, friends, lovers, and family members who identified and saw themselves as “Progressive”, and me as the enemy of their progress. On November 10^th 2016, I was verbally assaulted on my connecting flight home from Atlanta for mentioning the name of our new President in a positive light to the passenger to my left, within earshot of the female passenger seated directly in front of me. Her explosive rage stunned the entire plane of passengers and crew. It was pure raw visceral hate. If she had a gun…

The challenge for the hated is not to hate back. The aim of the hate is to make us disappear. The diabolical effect of Identity Politics causes us to oblige them in order to avoid conflict and being hated, when in fact the God we were born to connect with wants us to love them. Remember the actions of every single Disciple of Jesus after He was arrested. They disappeared. It was only after the Ascension that they each turned to face the hate, engage the hater and counter with love.

I have found, through my own personal experience, a powerful shield and strength of Faith in engaging the hater. It is our fear of losing that gives hate its bite. It was the fear of losing that scattered the Disciples…until they finally realized the “Kingdom” He was referring to all along. It is the basis of His “camel through the eye of a needle” teaching. I see it in so many good and loving friends with so much to lose, who chose the safe middle…unable or unwilling to see the ultimate consequence of their action. Or inaction, more often than not. 2019 is the pivotal year for the entire world. For the love of God, do not experience it as a mere observer from the sidelines. Hate wins only if you and I allow it.