What Remains of the Destruction

There are times when I write in order to workout my own thoughts and emotions because it is hard for me to grasp what I see around me and it’s the only way I know how to try and process the events, and in what I see now, the carnage. I am writing this less than 48 hours after the results of the 2016 presidential election and the view is bleak.  I don’t say this because of the individual that has been elected into office but because of all the anger, hatred, mocking, gloating, screaming and shouting that is in almost every social media post, news report, and conversation that is within earshot. 

I understand the emotion that has built up over the course of the last two years with every commercial, debate, rally, news story, and online article that has decried every single candidate with expletive after expletive.  Emotions that push neighbors, co-workers, and even fellow church members to ridicule and mock one another because of differing beliefs and opinions.  Emotions that bring us to the point of publicly questioning the strength of each other’s faith, patriotism, ethical beliefs, and attitudes towards racism, sexism, xenophobic, homophobic outlooks on the world.  I am most troubled by hearing aand reading these statements from people who proclaimed more than their fair share of “amens” in churches led by pastors who have reiterated to congregations of the dangers of this very behavior over the past several months. 

 But when your emotion drives you to call any candidate, political supporter, or anyone else the thousands of hateful, dirty, disgusting words that have been uttered over the last two years……what does that make you?  A Republican?  A Democrat?  A Christian?  A Pro-Life or Pro-Choice advocate?  A Patriot?  Maybe, but so what? When you condemn, criticize, chastise and berate the very people that are created and loved by God, what does that make you?  When you lose your temper and scream at those expressing their opinions...exercising the very rights you hold so dear to your own heart....what does that make you?

When you’re angry that the world around you hates Jesus and doesn’t eve recognize Him anymore…..maybe it’s because they don’t see Jesus in you?  Maybe the Jesus that you proclaim is in control of this nation no matter who is in the White House, is weeping as He sees what his children are saying and doing to each another. 

Maybe…there is a time to just….be….quiet.  And now, so will I.