Asphalt.

In the spirit of the season, I sometimes find it best to reflect on where we've come from to see where we're going. I find that looking at the very elements of a situation can assist in finding common ground in which to walk, versus the egg shells we sometimes tiptoe around or crush just enough to pierce the leathery skin on the bottoms of our feet. 

I will refer to the Bible here, so if you aren't interested past this then, there ya go. 

In Genesis, man was made, and woman was made from man. God did both. 

In Genesis again, man sinned, woman sinned. God did not make sin. 

The rest of the Bible and life as we know it is based on this original sin and how we react, cover, attempt to live life on top of it, all the pain of cycle after cycle, mess on mess, and now here we are blurring the lines of what a nationalized agenda-biased media depicts either way about sexual assault. 

Ah, this season...

No, this isn't for children, and there are no sweet treats delivered for those who ask. However, more important than sweets and reprieve we all justify in our lives, sometimes the plate of raw vegetables is necessary to keep the body, the human body, alive. 

The truth is, and very little can say that, we have all sinned. We are all guilty parties in this life. That is the truth. Whether one sin outweighs another or whether us wanting to hurt someone for an act against us is justified, it is still a sin and continues the cycle we are all sick of. We are humans, at our base, and attempting to will our way to a better existence isn't how this works. We fail, every, damn, day. We fail when we wake up, judge our neighbors for being lazy. We fail when we go to the gym and glance at the yoga pants. We fail when we like the new vehicle a friend is driving. We fail miserably, when the Huskers lose. We fail, each and every day. 

So, who are we really to continue to build on our own failure, our own sin, by discounting our own and demanding justice or change for others? 

Oh, there it is huh? How dare I claim any tolerance to pain, and whatever you've been through I don't know what it's like and now I am a bigot whom is unable to fathom the pain one went through, goes through, or feels inside each and every day. The truth is, you don't know mine either, and whether or not I could possibly understand, or any man understand a woman, or woman a man, or either understand a transgender, we all can look at what we do to continue to perpetuate the cycle of violence, hate, dismay that we are initially saying we want to eradicate. 

A reference point here, C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters. A read I highly suggest, for it describes the incidents we live in every day. The demons who are free to manipulate us to turn away from God and servitude aren't doing it through obvious ways, but through insinuating a feeling of being discounted, or gosh-darn it, objectified. 

Sexual assault, a situation, any situation where it did or didn't occur, isn't about right or wrong because both parties lose here. WE are all losers here. We are mad at ourselves for we allowed and continue to drive our own culture into the pit where we are more concerned about rights then the fact that we all contributed to a culture where we are now concerned with sexual assault. This is like making an engine to a car and then the entire time driving it fearing that the way it was built is going to explode at any time. We made this, we can stop the darn car and change what we feel we did to cause it, otherwise, why are we fearful of an explosion? 

When the nation needs to be united, we continue to divide. We only want to unite if we agree on my terms. We justify our causes because we are too weak to see the other side, too feeble in our attempts to understand. We hold to our resolve as the sinking ship it is and we fail to do the one and only thing God meant when he finally eradicated sin once and for all, have faith. 

Faith that what we see and do is all for some bigger purpose. Something that the King of the Universe, the almighty God knows is best for us. Sure, that may be suffering, however, is there anything more noble, more worthy of our time than suffering for a purpose that God knew was best for us? He does not interject and help or hurt, for our free will seems to do just fine in continuing to perpetuate pain. It is in our nature, or the natural course of things that this planet and all who live on it, dies. Why in the world would we continue to waste time thinking otherwise? Are we too great, too powerful within our self to wake up and realize that we are not gods, we experience pain because we are the ones that made it? 

Convolute truth all you want, there is still truth. Take definitions, make them "technical" or switch a perspective, persuade the world, sway them away from the truth, but it still stands. Allowing ourselves to let go of the control we think we have, live for the only thing that matters, that is what we need to do. We promote love not through our will of words, but through action. When we see hate, and we give more love. When we see a message against women and we love a man more. When we see the Supreme Court judge go under scrutiny and all the women claim that this is unfair, for you women, what a perfect opportunity to show who you are, show the love, and love more than ever before in the face of being slapped back down. 

Nobody likes pain or suffering, and as I sit comfortably, able to write, appreciate for all I have, I know it is not because I did anything, but Christ who feels this is what I needed now. One day, based on his will, not mine, it could all be gone. There is nothing, nothing, I can do to stop it, but what I can do is the most noble and purposeful thing man has the opportunity to do, serve, place hands up to God, give him more. Praise Jesus as the son of God and that He took our sins when he had none, and yet we still think, audaciously, that we have any say in what is right or wrong. 

Wretched humans we are, miserable. There is only one way out, and that veil has been torn, we have all the peace, freedom, love we could ever need, right now, is all we have to do is ask, submit, and live the rest of our days in service. 

Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things he does for me. He forgives all my sins. He heals me. Psalm 103:2-3

God Bless.