Death of a Legacy: The End of Hate

I saw this picture the other day, and it struck me.  It was taken at a KKK rally in 1992, and here we see this small child, too young to really know what the outfit he is wearing even means, staring at his reflection...  I wonder to myself where this child is now.  What does he think when he sees this photograph?  Is he hateful?  Does the KKK represent his values?  Does he see himself for who he really is?

Hate is such a powerful force in this world.  But as with all things, hate must come to an end.  And in time, it will.  Take, for example, the case of one hateful Fred Phelps.  Phelps was the pastor of a pseudo-church that made a habit of spreading hate. The Westboro band spread their brand by hauling signs to funerals proclaiming "God Hates Fags", and though their message was very "loud and proud", they clearly demonstrated by their lack of church size that hate is a losing message.

I say, "was the pastor", because Mr. Phelps is now dead.  One can only hope that his message will die with him; but that is not why I am writing this piece.  The thoughts that run through my mind at the moment are a mixed bag of nuts, but I will try and sort them out in brief fashion...

First off, I find it important to express to the reader, that Mr. Phelps does not represent the teachings of Christ, or the Bible.  Now I know you may be thinking, "But I thought the Bible taught that homosexuality was a sin?" You are exactly right.  It does.  But it also teaches that adultery is a sin. And it teaches that pornography and lust of the heterosexual nature are sins. Ironically, it also teaches that gossip, greed, jealousy, and gluttony are also all sins- with the same end result.  And most importantly, it teaches that hate is not only a sin- but a sin equal to murder in the eyes of God.

So, there we have it. Mr. Phelps may have been right that homosexuality is a sin; but he was in no better place, as biblically speaking, he would be compared to a murderer.  His actions were equally offensive to God.  The darkness in his heart tainted and distorted any truth his message may have had...

As Christians, it is imperative that we understand one thing: Love.  Yes, we are to stand for what is right. Yes, we are to be speakers of truth. Yes, we are called by God to preach repentance of sins. But we are also called by God to love. There MUST be a balance.  Paul wrote so very eloquently in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 that our words may be the best words- but if they are spoken without love, they are just noise; that our wisdom and knowledge may be top notch, but if it is void of love, then it is nothing; and that our actions may astound the world, but if they are done without love as the motive, it will gain us nothing in the end.

And that is just what Mr. Phelps gained for all his life's work- nothing. Let us not ridicule him, or wish him safe journeys to hell- for in so doing we lower ourselves to his level. But rather let us look to him as a warning beacon for what happens when we allow bitterness, unforgiveness, and hate to rule our hearts. Let us examine ourselves in honesty and truth, and allow the Holy Spirit to convict us if love is not our motive.  And let us find ourselves always acting with all love, for if Christ so loved the world- so should we.

Political Reflections From the Corners of My Mind

Life has a funny way of changing course on you.  One moment you think you are heading towards the east, then you encounter a cerebral shift and are headed west.  They call them the winds of change, and they ever blow as you travel this life's journey.  So has been the case with me.

A year ago, I was seriously thinking about an eventual career in politics.  I had recently been elected Precinct Committeeman and Vice Chairman for my district, in the Canyon County Republican Party.  I was given tasks such as creating a facebook page for the Central Committee, and notifying the newspapers of upcoming events.  I think at one time I was given the title "Chairman of Public Relations"...  It was kind of an odd duck fit, since really I knew very little of what I was doing, and didn't ask for the positions.  They just all sort of... happened.  I was liked by people both of the establishment and non-establishment persuasion.  Things were progressing well, for someone who was an absolute novice with future political aspirations. 

Then as I was staring in at the pitcher one evening, he threw me a curveball.  The freaky thing is, I was expecting a fastball.  In laymen's terms, life took one of it's unusual twists.

I had done some minor P.R. work for a man who was running for office; I didn't know him, but after talking a bit with him, felt confident he would stand for my values.  He had a specific promise- that he would vote against the State Insurance Exchange.  It was his big selling point, especially since his opponent was campaigning for it.  I bought his schpeel; I wrote letters to the editor for him, I got others to do the same.  I monitored public forums, making sure he got a positive spin.  I put my name with his... and then, when he was elected, he went back on his promise and voted for said State Exchange.  Umm, yeah, I still have your election literature that says... oh, never mind...

I was... quite frustrated.  But, I am a forgiving person...  So when another legislator drafted an amendment that would offer protections to religious employers, I approached him, asking him to at least support it.  He promised that he would support life and religious liberty, and that I needn't worry- all would be well.  I believed him.  The very next day he went out and voted against it.

I should note that this man was a conservative republican.  As were many other elected officials here in this state who, despite public outcry, voted for what they thought best as opposed to the will of the people.  This was a huge awakening moment for me...  As I realized that all men in politics, regardless of ideology or party affiliation, are the same.  With few exception, they clock in to the state house, they vote for what will best build their kingdom, and the people are left wondering what happened to their knight in shining armor that was supposed to be "The One".

It was in this moment in life that I came to the astonishing conclusion that very little done on the battlefield of politics is relevant to the end game.  The system is rigged for failure; it is only a matter of time until this train crashes head on into the wall it is racing toward. And we, the general public, are left with the all important question: Do we carry on with this quest? Or do we divert to something that will have lasting impact?

Everyone must answer that question for themselves; for me, the answer is to refocus and to redeem the time.  I have set aside my political aspirations. I have stepped out of any future election races.  Lasting change can only be won on one battleground: the heart.  As I pointed out to a dear friend of mine, even if all you want were to come to fruition, even if you got the leaders and the laws the way you want- if the heart of the people remains as is, in four years your efforts will vanish like a vapor. 

At the end of the day, I do not believe in stressing over the possibilities of what may or may not happen anyway.  This country may be in a bad place, but I also know how things are going to end.  Instead of stressing, perhaps we as Christians should be living in joy over the knowledge that light WILL overcome the darkness.  Time is short, and perhaps we Christians have spent too much time going crazy over a pagan society being run by a pagan president and the choices they make.  Remember, we are not of this world.  Our primary concern is not restoring the kingdom of America- but building the kingdom of God. 

Changing a law lasts only a moment; changing a heart lasts for eternity.

Thow out the Baby With the Bathwater!

It has been too long since my last entry...  I think it is time to start this back up again... So, here we go:

I have been noticing a disturbing trend in society.  What is it, you ask? Is it that there seems to be an increase in violence? Well, that may be true, and that certainly does play in to what is on my mind, but no.  Nor is it any relation to drugs or politics, or comedies that just aren't comedy-ic.  I have observed, that it seems we are too much anymore a throw away society. 

What I mean is, we throw away important things way too quickly, for reasons that are just heartbreaking when you examine them.  Do you know what I am talking about?  Let me start with this example:  Marriage.  Because we are a fast-food society (I want it now, so I am going to get it now), people often rush into marriage long before they should.  They get that goose-bumpy feeling whenever their crush walks by and they think they are in love... ah, sweet love!  So they look past reality and plunge straight into a serious relationship.  And then marriage.  And then the slightest bump comes along, and all of a sudden that goose-bumpy feeling is gone.  The thought floods into our head that obviously, we are no longer in love.  The end result? A quick run down to divorce court.  "My husband just can't stand the fact that I buy creamy peanut butter instead of crunchy." "My wife gets so upset because I watch too many sports, and I am not giving that up." Or whatever the case may be.

The end result is, broken hearts, broken families.  Usually over something stupid. Or over a refusal to forgive.

But it doesn't only involve marriages.  It goes to friendships as well.  We find the people who we believe think like us . We spend time with them.  We invest in them. We pour our hearts into them.  Bonds and memories are built; while we tell ourselves that it will last a lifetime.  But what happens in our society when one friend offends another?  People who were once unseperable, who were the proverbial "two peas in a pod", walk away angry, hurt, and bitter. 

I think the saddest part of this is, that from my personal observations, in almost all cases it was something not worth fighting over.  Either there was a miscommunication- which most offenses are, by the way- or it is once again, the lack of forgiveness over things that are not that serious of an offense when we really examine it.

Once again, there is those words- a lack of forgiveness. I know that too often in my life, I have demonstrated this.  I think if we are honest, we all have.  And what are we left with?  Regret. Hurt feelings. Wishing things could have been different, but refusing to be the first to budge. Refusing to admit that maybe- just maybe- we were wrong, and we just contributed to this new trend of a throw-away society.

Jesus demonstrated perfectly what must be done when we are offended.  You see, we offended Him- and we still do! Yet He was willing to look past that and stand in our place in judgement.  When He was on the cross, he did not curse those who nailed Him there. He didn't even demonstrate anger. Instead, He said "Father, forgive them." 

I think it is time we buck the trend.  There are already too many broken hearts and broken relationships.  If someone or something is important to you, then hold on to it. Hold on to it with all your might.  If someone offends you, don't be so quick to walk away.  Work through it!  So much time has already been invested- why waste that? 

Too often, important things are thrown to the trash heap...  And we will only be left with regret.  We will find, at the end of the day, that if we conform to this throw away mentality- the person we end up hurting the most, is ourselves.