Do we place an extremely high value on money and finances ...and what it can add to our lives?
Yes, we may view success this way ...and trust that it is the only thing that can bring value to our lives. But this is not the point being made here.
The point is: If we say we trust money, success, and security ...that may qualify under the heading of 'what' we trust, yet it also involves 'who' we trust because people are usually behind most every thing.
So, isn't it mostly about 'who' we trust?
For some time now I've seen an increased amount of divisiveness emerging as a strong influential force in society.
It seems now it is nearing a dangerous level. I don't know all the reasons why ...though I know fear is often being used, and also uncertainty.
We should not allow our minds to go down this path. I admit that I am guarded by what I hear and read ...so you could say I do not fully 'trust' everything that I see or hear presented to me. Yet, I do believe that everyone has value ...and everyone should be viewed through that perspective. And I firmly believe that to be true.
We all have opinions and it's virtually impossible for all of us to agree on everything. If any of you believe you totally agree with someone else ...then I merely disagree with you, and I believe that you are generalizing or just using a figure of speech.
So, to sum up that last statement and personalize it for myself ..."I don't fully agree with anyone."
But, part of that is also inclusive of the fact that I don't understand everyone. So, listening and clarifying is a big part of conversation ...at least for me.
And this may be one of the most important parts: Just because I may disagree with you (even after listening and clarifying) does not mean that I don't like you. And it certainly doesn't mean I don't accept you as a person. So, if I don't view something the same as you do ...I still accept you as a person.
A problem arises when you feel I have to agree or accept the view you are presently holding ...and if I don't agree with you, then I'm not accepting you.
If someone believes the two are inseparable, then the path they choose may include separating themselves from those people they feel are not accepting of them. And when that happens, there is a tendency to dislike those people and want to avoid them entirely.
A big part of what has been happening in recent years ...is that people are increasingly turning to social media for support. And the way it's usually set up is to freely exchange our views ...so, while seeking support, we are also subjected to the opinions of the very ones we are trying to avoid.
Some of the ones we are trying to avoid, we are allowing our feelings to characterize them by wrong assumptions ...and we continue to try to avoid them, which is often very difficult on social media, unless we 'block' them and create a further rift with them. Yet, the ones we should truly try to avoid are those who are acting as if they have it all figured out ---and they are subtly stoking and fueling emotions to elicit a response to categorize those who are misunderstood by us ---as they (they are more than 'influencers', many of them are 'agitators') play on our misplaced feelings to divide us further, often insinuating that certain individuals are the cause of most of our grief.
It gets to the point where (though it may not be outright said) certain people are viewed as 'the enemy'.
This is reaching a critical point where we are being divided on so many spheres of thinking. And we become dependent upon this way of thinking ...entering an echo chamber, where we can only hear the same thing over and over again, parroting or echoing what others have said and repeating it ourselves.
And when we hear or read something over & over again, we often tend to believe it ...and when our commitment to believing it becomes stronger & stronger, that particular thing seems to become a part of us, becoming much harder to separate the idea from the person.
A parent may repeat many things to assist their children in learning ...one of the things being as simple as repeating the alphabet. And teachers can ask us to memorize the multiplication tables.
Yet, we don't learn from just parents and teachers ...we learn many other ways. And some of the ways are not good ...they are not healthy.
So, please do not go down that path. It's okay to disagree ...but we also have to listen, not thinking we have the full truth and the other person has nothing of value to say. Even if we disagree, by listening we can gain understanding where the other person is coming from (unless the other person does not want to open up at the present time, and either continues to parrot those divisive phrases they've heard, or just silently walks away with those phrases echoing in their head).
Politics is a real difficult one ...and the divisiveness seems to be amped up at present with mid-term elections approaching. And there is so much negative campaigning. I try to vote according to my views and not by 'party' ...and I don't hide my feelings, though I do try to express them respectfully. Though others may fail to see it that way. Often people feel others do not respect them, unless an agreement can be reach with them, more favoring their point of view.
I don't even have to voice my beliefs ---and people fairly much know how I view things, which is fine ---I am not usually 'close-mouthed', as I usually feel secure around others. And I try to show interest in the person I'm attempting to communicate with.
On one occasion, I was in a room with several others who were discussing their views. I initially was remaining silent, attempting to listen. Yet, my name came up ...as they felt they knew my point of view, and they commented that I believe a certain way because I solely listen exclusively to certain news sources.
Yet, that wasn't true ...and I mentioned that I view multiple news sources (and one of them I felt was the one they primarily listen to). But, my main point was, "We all choose fairly much what we want to believe, and we choose news sources that often seem to align with what we want to believe. But, none of us are eyewitnesses to what is being reported, so how do we know what is actually true? We don't!!"
That sort of ended the conversation, though it may have continued afterwards when I wasn't around ...but that's okay. And I think it is clear that I am not their enemy ...and I was being fair and accurate about it.
And what I mean by being accurate, is that I don't think it is that important in most cases whether I get everything right. It is not about whether I get this or that right ...it is about whether I treat others right.
And I believe those who are stoking the fires of divisiveness are not treating others right. They act like they want to share something important with you ...and they want you to feel important because they are presenting a shared viewpoint, at least they are presenting it that way. With all of their strategic presenting and convincing, they hope that they will be successful in getting you to share and accept common beliefs ...their beliefs.
They are very deliberate with their technique of influencing how you are to think. At first they may act like anyone who doesn't share their view has merely not been informed yet. Or if they have been informed to a degree, they have not been fully informed. To be more fully informed, it is easy ...just listen to what they are presenting as 'facts'. Or they present alternate possibilities, all presented in a way that you will likely draw the same conclusion as them. Many of the things are presented as unknown, but are grouped together in such a clever way to get one to draw a particular conclusion ...and their defense always seems to be the claim that they actually never said what others are claiming they said (though it was so obviously deliberately implied). At least I see it that way.
If a fish nibbles long enough on the bait, they may eventually take the hook. And this is the hope of many of these divisive influencers on social media. They give you much to nibble on.
If you don't agree, you can merely be ignorant. But, the defense has already been set up ...because it is designed to not accept any other view. If an opposing view is held, then it is no longer just ignorant. You soon will be viewed as 'the opposition'.
Yes, if you present an alternate view, then you are competing ...you are 'the opposition'. And being 'the opposition', sort of means you are against the one you may be merely trying to have a civil conversation with. So, in many cases, having a different point of view does not benefit you ...as it just causes unwanted divisiveness and grief.
But, to oppose a certain viewpoint does not mean you don't accept the person holding that viewpoint. And being seen as hesitant in accepting a view often labels a person as being outright resistant. Wouldn't the best approach be not to just believe everything we are told, but rather to look into it first ...being a bit more thorough??
But sadly, too often others are viewed as 'the opposition' ...and it is not always just a healthy discussion, but is viewed more as a debate filled with 'hate'. Worse yet is when others are viewed as a danger and threat ...being viewed as an enemy. And tragically, when strong emotions become more increasingly 'collective emotions', then there is a strong possibility that someone is going to act on those emotions in an unwise and harmful manner.
I know that others may say that I am doing the very thing that I am claiming others are doing. But, I feel you can quickly tell the difference. Many of the people that I feel are not helping you, but are actually harming you ...I have not mentioned their names. But, the people I speak of are constantly mentioning people's names. So, I am not against the persons ...I am mentioning the things that I feel are wrong.
Jesus told His disciples that whoever is not against us is for us (Mark 9:40 and Luke 9:50). Yet, when Jesus spoke to some of the religious leaders who were critical of what He was doing, Jesus told them that he who is not with Him is against Him (Matthew 12:30). So, Jesus was not against the people who were attempting to do what was right, Jesus was against those who were teaching divisive things.
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I was asked a specific question on Facebook about a practice by some churches which differ than other churches. Yet, I did not answer specifically, but opted for a general answer. I am inserting my reply here because although I was mostly addressing what I've seen on social media, I guess it applies in different areas of our lives also ...including our faith beliefs:
Reading Matthew 23:1-3, it seems that Jesus was telling people to continue the rich history that was the foundation of what they believed at that time, wanting them to realize aspects of the Old Testament were not to be thrown out, especially before they understood the new way, much of what was yet to be revealed. Yet, He also was telling them not to do things the 'way' they were doing things ...as they were not doing many things right. (An example is when they brought a woman to Jesus and said they caught her in the act and the law said she should be stoned. Of course, they were not following what they were to do ...where was the man if they had caught her in the act? And Jesus told her to go and sin no more ...providing His way to deal with it after all the others left.)
And there are so many different churches and they have different practices based on their beliefs ...but still most of them still put Jesus at the center, whether we believe they do or not. And they often likely have not been brought up the same, or have not had similar teachings on certain things.
Mark 9:40 and Luke 9:50 has Jesus saying to His disciples, showing them how to respond, that if they are not against us then they are for us ...and those people were including Jesus. Yet, when there were those who were not including Jesus, He said that those who were not with Him were against Him (Matthew 12:30 and Luke 11:23).
So, I know many who disagree with my beliefs and some who are even intolerant to what I believe ...but I believe in the Bible, therefore I believe I am going to Heaven because of Jesus, and I try to represent the best I can the Kingdom of God here on earth. Whether Luke 17:21 is translated as saying the Kingdom of God is 'within you' ---or 'in your midst', as in Jesus who was standing in front of them ---I believe both to be true. One of the thieves being crucified beside Jesus likely got much wrong, like I know I do, yet he got one thing right ...and it's the same thing that so many people who disagree on other things at least get right.
And that thief was told by Jesus that he would be joining Jesus ...and he will have eternity with Him. So, we don't know how many people he robbed, but Jesus made sure the thief was not going to be robbed ...of his chance to spend eternity with Jesus.
(I have a quiet humble way that is my comfort zone ...so I don't feel comfortable dancing or jumping around, so I choose to go to a church that makes me feel comfortable, while it absolutely preaches about Jesus through the Bible. Yet, one of the most wonderful things I've seen was when I watch a video of people jumping around ---the Mouk tribe of Papua New Guinea ---and I cried when I watched it.)
(https://ethnos360.org/videos/ee-taow-the-mouk-story)
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Yes, I am a Christian ...and I am not going to get emotionally upset if you don't believe what I believe. Yet, I am not going to just walk away from you either, as if I don't care anything about you. Part of me being a Christian is caring about you, but I also realize the Holy Spirit is the One who truly reaches you. A friend of mine once asked why I never told him about a certain thing that the Bible says is wrong. I told him that I had told him, but he obviously was not prepared to listen. Yet, the Holy Spirit prepared him much later ...not through my timetable, but in His time.
God knows how things need to be, and I have no idea when that will be for each person. I am asked to love God, and to love others as I love myself. I am not to love myself more than others, and often I am to put others before myself. I don't always do this ...though none of us do. Yet, when I fail, I know that I'm not supposed to give up trying.
Yes, when I see people being taken in by destructive thinking, I believe it can be harmful ...and I question how it is improving their relationship with God. It is particularly disturbing to me when I hear them quoting scripture before going headlong into doing what I see as clearly wrong by my reading of scripture. And they try to convince others that they are doing the 'good' thing. I know many of their followers agree and see it this way ...but, I do not see it this way, and it bothers me because I care. I'm thankful that God cares for me, and I know He is the One who touches my heart and mind to care for others.
In summary:
Divisiveness is reaching an alarming rate in our society ...and it can not be solely blamed by a government which some view as out-of-control.
Many of us are a part of the problem. There is not just 'one' winning us over with wily ways. There is not just one ...as it was in a certain garden paradise. We are not in the comfort of perfect provision, and there are many voices who seek out our support. Yes, it is good to be trusting and innocent ...but being too naive, we can too easily become followers. And as we see what happened in the garden, even followers of God can be taken in.
Yes, the many voices include instigators who slither about trying to 'own' our emotions ...and often profiting from it on social media with next to zero accountability and no restraint. They are crafty and as they get more followers, it is tempting to join in with the growing majority.
Be aware ...before you too are taken in. The voice we should follow is not the one in our head and our tickling ears. If we are Christians, remember our first love ...the One who loved us before we were even us.
Isaiah has warned us (5:20) ...Jesus warned his disciples, and they warned us (Thessalonians 2:11). But why would God be sending us a delusion? I think it is the same as it was with Pharaoh when God had Moses confront him. Pharaoh was already hardened to the point where his heart would not be open to anything but his own agenda, so I believe God used that to show everyone else who had not yet been fully hardened.
And today, as it always has been, it is never too late to embrace God's way ...and His mercy can always reach us if we falter, yet we need to open our hearts to Him. But maybe we have opened our hearts to Him, yet we didn't realize what was happening. That's okay ...we can realize it now.
We don't really want to be part of the problem, do we? Well, we always are, but we can minimize that ...if we realize it before we become so committed to the deception that we believe the absurdity and become a part of the delusion. I believe God sends the delusion for the same reason as it was with Pharaoh during the time of Moses. I think it is meant for our benefit ...so we can more clearly see the absurdity for what it truly is. When Jesus came, the religious leaders were a part of the problem ...do we not think that people today could also appear religious on social media, while trying to get us to follow them?
Understand God's mercy. Follow Jesus, and allow the Holy Spirit to help you discern truth ...not of events in our world, but truths about Him. God allows us the privilege of choice ...to choose Him. Leave the rest up to Him ...it is comforting to realize it is not up to us.
God has given us government, and He will deal with governments. The role of most of us in society is different. Please don't try to step out of the main role God has given us ...it may not have the outcome you would expect. Jesus set the example: not involving Himself in the affairs of Herod, but stuck to His purpose ---leading His disciples in establishing a kingdom within each of our hearts (Luke 17:21) ---to prepare us for the Kingdom of Heaven, where nothing deceitful can ever enter. Perhaps it is best not to focus on those who constantly dwell on pointing out those who do wrong, and instead look to Jesus who made things right. Though we sometimes have to point out the 'wrong', we don't have to dwell on it. And we can do it in love.
