Remember Who The Enemy Is
As the US elections are preparing to take the center of the world’s stage and overrun the minds of every American, I can keep silent no more. I’m throwing my business-topic writing to the side and stepping way outside my comfort zone. I’ve debated for weeks now whether I should write this. Today, I’m going to do it. As my biblical neighbor and fellow countryman or countrywoman, you need to hear and remember who the enemy is.
The enemy isn’t the person in the supermarket or on the street who is or isn’t wearing a mask. That person you’re passing is like you. They think about money, freedom, time, love, loss, and where their life is headed. They worry about the future, are plagued with the past, and are scared of the present. Smile at them and keep smiling… keep smiling. They can tell. In fact, smile at them like you were stranded on a desert island and they are the first person you’ve seen. Keep smiling. Just because they didn’t smile back doesn’t mean you haven’t just changed their day for the good.
The enemy isn’t the person whose skin color is different from yours. We are all image-bearers of God and, as such, are made in His image. Don’t believe in God? Doesn’t matter. He is the reason each of us is worthy of love, dignity, and respect. That person’s skin color doesn’t matter one flying crap. They deserve love, dignity, and respect the same as you.
The enemy isn’t the person who is voting for someone else. Your neighbor with the political yard signs that are different than yours is still like you. They have convictions and reasons they are voting that way. Don’t let anyone other than them tell you why they are voting as they are… because no one else knows except them. Of course, that means you’ll need to talk to them.
The enemy isn’t the person whose opinion or beliefs are different than yours. We live in a country where we are allowed to express our opinions, our beliefs, our likes, and our dislikes. That person you are convinced is wrong has had a lifetime of experiences that have molded and shaped their thinking… just like you. Get to know them. Learn about them. Stop treating them like they are the plague. Treat them the way you want to be treated.
The enemy isn’t the person who has more or has less than you do. They didn’t personally oversee every decision you made because they were way too busy worrying about their own life. Take responsibility for your own life and your own decisions. If you’re not happy with your life or its current state, change it. You have the power to do it because like that other person you live in America. I was a broke (talking a dollar in the bank) person living paycheck to paycheck and I changed all that by starting a business. Don’t tell me change isn’t possible.
So, who is the enemy?
The enemy is any entity, any group, or any person who asks you to formally relinquish your freedom, autonomy, and logic. Even more tellingly, they’ll point fingers and say that the person in the supermarket, the person with the different color skin, the person voting for someone else, or the person who doesn’t believe like you is the enemy. They’ll give you six dozen reasons why they are right, why you are right, and then they’ll ask you to trust them because they actually understand you and have your best interest in mind. They’ll sidle up to you and tell you everything you want to hear. Then, once they are your overlord, the hammer will fall. You’ll be marching in step with them, certain that the “other person” isn’t that at all… they’re not even human. They are just rabble and are to be controlled or removed.
Don’t ever lose sight of the fact that the people you see every day are like you. Don’t ever let any entity, any group, or any person tell you that other person is worth more OR LESS than you. Don’t ever let any entity, any group, or any person tell you how or what to think. If you’ve felt it, if you suffered it, if you’ve overcome it, if you failed at it, if you succeeded at it… there’s someone out there who has done the same. And, odds are exceedingly high that they look and believe nothing like you do.
Remember who the enemy really is.
