Catalyst to Change (a good thing).
On the eve of a midterm election, one that my wife and I as average American citizens must admit to being of more importance than past elections, I must say, even with rising tensions, I see good things. The, "good" as I mention is not in how we traditionally, see, "good" or pleasurable, but "good" like heat to cow's milk makes the cream rise to the top. When things that are good, bad, indifferent, or effective, ineffective, or merely existing, they can sit, stagnant, never forced to grow, never encouraged to bring about strengths.
As a therapist to war veterans, I find it fascinating that many of our nation's toughest struggle with daily life. They receive the diagnosis of PTSD, and take medications, or use some other method to "manage" themselves because war experiences have forever altered their mind, making them a, less-valuable commodity in the job market, if they are able to get a job at all. After all, when a business in America is looking to grow, it is easy to say they support war veterans, however, are they then willing to employ a resume that says Active Duty Army the past 10 years, with three deployments to combat zones? Are they willing to grow on the foundations that continue to make this country grow, or at least defend its right to?
Maybe the college graduate with no combat, or world experience is a better fit? Maybe, according to the training and key words used in an interview, the fact that the interviewer and applicant have more in common, the fact that there is less intimidation, or the fact that the combat veteran doesn't have a degree, separates the employer from employing the same person they claim to glorify?
Of course they have to have standards to who gets in the job. Just because I write a blog, or a few books, doesn't mean I should be hired on as an accountant? It doesn't mean I am qualified to be a surgeon. For all parts of the body have their job, and warriors have done theirs. Something few actually glorify and want to do, and even fewer have participated in to come back to a world that says thank you out loud, then goes about their day.
It is the battle that makes a man turn warrior. Not the talk of war, not the playing of video games, or playing a sport mimicking battle, not the training, but the hard-pressed combat that makes that man a refined steel, a toughened diamond to the stress of losing, dedicating one's life, to the cause. Forged in battle is ye for they have mastered their ability to give this life a pass, and say if this is it, so be it.
Only, for many, "the lucky ones" we say, it isn't. They come back, an original plan to die, and now to live, what must they do? They are forged warriors, now they are to sit at a desk, or go back to school, or play house, something that they did not plan for. They have to adjust back to this life, "normalcy," we call it, a normal human being, no longer in combat? Now there is a new battle, one they have their own struggles with, one that is not as simple as life or death, but ends up being a convoluted game where truth turns lie and what is a lie supposedly exists for our good.
Friction makes heat, heat is a catalyst for change. No longer are we allowed the luxury to merely exist, but to fight. Our battle field in America is not with a weapon, not yet anyway, but to pick what we believe, live by convictions.
We have done this, slacked in our preparation for battle. Now the battle is coming to us. Voting is great, however, we live too black-and-white, we live to one answer. What, after November 6th, we can all rest because we, "did our part?" Are we so ignorant to believe that we will now go back? The threshold has been pushed, the heat has been turned up. President Trump showed us that anything is possible, and we no longer live this in this closed-system.
Pressure is being applied, the walls are closing in, and it is a good thing. No, I do not want to lose the "comforts" of this world. However, if this heat can cause the wishy-washy Christians to stand up, live their convictions, live for God, not for self, understand and love the person, hate the sin, reinforce a lack of tolerance for the sin, that America was chosen not for luxury but for growth and spreading the Good word to other nations, if this is what we get from this, I must say, "bring it on."
God Bless.
As a therapist to war veterans, I find it fascinating that many of our nation's toughest struggle with daily life. They receive the diagnosis of PTSD, and take medications, or use some other method to "manage" themselves because war experiences have forever altered their mind, making them a, less-valuable commodity in the job market, if they are able to get a job at all. After all, when a business in America is looking to grow, it is easy to say they support war veterans, however, are they then willing to employ a resume that says Active Duty Army the past 10 years, with three deployments to combat zones? Are they willing to grow on the foundations that continue to make this country grow, or at least defend its right to?
Maybe the college graduate with no combat, or world experience is a better fit? Maybe, according to the training and key words used in an interview, the fact that the interviewer and applicant have more in common, the fact that there is less intimidation, or the fact that the combat veteran doesn't have a degree, separates the employer from employing the same person they claim to glorify?
Of course they have to have standards to who gets in the job. Just because I write a blog, or a few books, doesn't mean I should be hired on as an accountant? It doesn't mean I am qualified to be a surgeon. For all parts of the body have their job, and warriors have done theirs. Something few actually glorify and want to do, and even fewer have participated in to come back to a world that says thank you out loud, then goes about their day.
It is the battle that makes a man turn warrior. Not the talk of war, not the playing of video games, or playing a sport mimicking battle, not the training, but the hard-pressed combat that makes that man a refined steel, a toughened diamond to the stress of losing, dedicating one's life, to the cause. Forged in battle is ye for they have mastered their ability to give this life a pass, and say if this is it, so be it.
Only, for many, "the lucky ones" we say, it isn't. They come back, an original plan to die, and now to live, what must they do? They are forged warriors, now they are to sit at a desk, or go back to school, or play house, something that they did not plan for. They have to adjust back to this life, "normalcy," we call it, a normal human being, no longer in combat? Now there is a new battle, one they have their own struggles with, one that is not as simple as life or death, but ends up being a convoluted game where truth turns lie and what is a lie supposedly exists for our good.
Friction makes heat, heat is a catalyst for change. No longer are we allowed the luxury to merely exist, but to fight. Our battle field in America is not with a weapon, not yet anyway, but to pick what we believe, live by convictions.
15I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! 16So because you arelukewarm— neither hot nor cold— I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!- Revelation 3:15-16.America, as I see it oftentimes, and as commercials depict, is a Christian-based community, believers in Christ, after all, the American principal's were built on Biblical principles, virtues for men. We have taken these things for granted, and failed to grow in the truth, now we are feeling the pressure to do something. Turning to God is cliche'd in America, "Oh, we did that for 9/11." And yet, we have once again slipped back into our casualness looking for self glorification, not dedicating time where time is needed. We continue to invest in us, selfishly, and yet think that the other side is wrong, blaming them for this mess.
We have done this, slacked in our preparation for battle. Now the battle is coming to us. Voting is great, however, we live too black-and-white, we live to one answer. What, after November 6th, we can all rest because we, "did our part?" Are we so ignorant to believe that we will now go back? The threshold has been pushed, the heat has been turned up. President Trump showed us that anything is possible, and we no longer live this in this closed-system.
Pressure is being applied, the walls are closing in, and it is a good thing. No, I do not want to lose the "comforts" of this world. However, if this heat can cause the wishy-washy Christians to stand up, live their convictions, live for God, not for self, understand and love the person, hate the sin, reinforce a lack of tolerance for the sin, that America was chosen not for luxury but for growth and spreading the Good word to other nations, if this is what we get from this, I must say, "bring it on."
"For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith." - Romans 12:3
God Bless.
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