I avoid political discussions as much as possible. People don’t like someone like me, someone who is an observer and sees both sides even while perhaps agreeing one way more than the other.
Axios CEO Jim VandeHei writing on the Finish Line newsletter offered advice recently for disaffected liberals and then for MAGA. Feedback from the MAGA group partly said that they have been put down for years with the cancel culture and inability to voice their opinions, so now that they are in charge, turnabout is fair play.
Nat Hentoff published a book many years ago called, Free Speech for Me But Not for Thee. He was thinking about a similar situation.
When we say, “I want justice for me; I don’t care about you,” then we have ceased speaking about justice. We’re talking about retaliation.
Retaliation is an honest human emotion. We probably all wish for some type of retaliation for those who have wronged us. Even to the feeling, “I should have said…”
Jesus had something to say about this topic (surprised?).
Love your enemies.
Even the heathen love their friends. But my followers are deeper than that. They can love their enemies.
Sometimes I turn to Rich Dixon for words of wisdom. He wrote, “People are hard to hate close up.” If I think in terms of a group, it’s easier to hate them. Then you realize that you have friends who sympathize that direction realizing that you love them.
Let me quote an American national document, “Liberty and Justice for all.”
I guess when I say “all” there, I actually mean, “All.” I guess that makes me strange. But I’ll own that.
Gary Mintchell
Faith Venture 