I rarely comment on national controversies, but the recent volume of hatred that I see on the web and media seems to be growing exponentially and there is just one perspective that I have not seen articulated.
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Paul is clearly telling us that we have an enemy, but this enemy is not made of flesh and blood so it so it stands to reason he cannot be one of our neighbors. He has no race, color, or nationality. Yes, I am a conspiracy theorist. Evil forces are manipulating what they can and it is being orchestrated and he is doing a great job stirring up dissent and hatred.
Yes’ the media perpetuates this anger by advertising for and putting a spotlight on only those who create these problems.
It’s also true that many so-called activists profit off of tragedies like those that have occurred recently and many of us are all too willing to join in with the “dividers” and their inflammatory rhetoric. For many Christians, it would be very tempting to “pick a side” in these battles but maybe there’s another way.
Maybe we, as ambassadors of God’s kingdom, should simply speak words of encouragement, reconciliation and forgiveness in the midst of all of this turmoil. We should turn our backs on all hate and not give it a voice. We should only “retweet” or “share” voices for positive change and simply shout these messages louder than the haters.
“Bless those who curse you…”
“All who take up the sword will perish by the sword” even if the sword is a pen or a keyboard.
I, for one intend to go and love people in the next few weeks like never before; to make the effort to show a greater respect to all those around me and try to be a light in a dark world. I don’t always remember to act this way, but God has brought this conviction in my life at this time. I just felt I needed to pay it forward.
Maybe we can start a new trend.
