Grown Up Red Rover

What then shall we say to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Who remembers the game, Red Rover?  It was the ultimate game in choosing sides.  You wanted to pick the team that was strong and could serve as a powerful force to keep the other team from crossing through.  It was a game that was hard for the little guy to win.  Sometimes someone would squeak by as a surprise;  sometimes the big guys would just plow through and knock you over and sometimes folks got an unwanted flip onto their backside.  I don't think there is a play ground in America that still lets kids play, but these last few days have made me feel a little like I’ve been trapped in the middle of a nation-wide game of Red Rover.  

One of the  beautiful signs of a merciful person is their ability to show mercy and kindness to everyone; especially those whose ideas may differ from their own.  Christ called us to love everyone; the folks who would love us back but most especially those who didn’t love us in return.  Those aren’t new rules or new ideas but it seems like we could all use a little reminder.  If a hundred people were offered two choices it’s ridiculous to imagine they would all choose the same thing.  God made  us each unique and perfectly designed in His Image, so why do we insist on making everyone else believe, think and feel what we do?  As we get less and less cautious about our  speech and actions we become a more  hurtful society with each passing day.  Folks aren’t speaking with kindness and compassion and the art of crafting a lovely, persuasive, intelligent, honorable debate has been tackled by nasty tweets, posts and emails filled with half-truth, hatefulness and inflated boldness.  I think folks hide behind a screen and type anything that pops into their heads without fear of consequence because they don’t see the faces of those who read their messages.  What has happened to “Truth Spoken in Love”?  That’s kind of a big thing if we want there to be “Peace on Earth”.  Were we just singing the song or did we really mean it?

I won’t pretend to be so simple minded as to think one silly post on a tiny blip on the screen blog will amount to national change but I do have a thought.  We are drawing so many “lines in the  sand” it’s hard to know where to step.  Everything is analyzed and scrutinized and like that Red Rover game, the team that wins is the one who assembles the most brute force and blocks the others from passage.  It’s all about who’s against what or whom!  If our focus is locked on crisis mode all we see are the  problems and faults.  Good could whop us over the head and we wouldn’t even see it.  The flip side is to pay attention to the possible outcomes, solutions and compromises.  Another way to say it is we need to shift ourselves around and think more about what we’re FOR and not what we’re AGAINST.  It’s bigger than positive thinking.  If I know what I’m for, I can see those things in people and situations.  If I’m focused on what I’m against that’s like a wet, heavy blanket because all I’m looking for is the negative.  Constantly looking out for the things we’re against leads to attitudes that make us  miserable, sarcastic, cynical and judgmental. I think we’ve had enough of that, don’t you?

So, the question of the day; what are you for?  Once you make that list, start looking for those things and I’ll bet you find  them.  Imagine the feeling you’ll have when you discover something good about a person or situation.  It will make it easier to understand, speak with love, judge with tenderness and show mercy.  A search for the good and the noble is always a positive adventure and don’t forget if God is for us, and He’s the most important thing we’re “for” life will be so much more joyful and peaceful.  In case you’re a bit weary from all the “static”, this message should be good news.

A Seed To Plant:  Make your list of “I’m For’s” and ask God to guide you toward them.
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Blessings on your day!