It is About Destruction

If I were to design a way to corrupt a culture; turn evil into good and good into evil, I could not do it any better than what is currently happening in our country. The idea of traditional families has basically been destroyed. The healthy value found in employment is eroding. Crimes that used to have penalties now no longer do. Drug use is legal and/or permitted—creating a generation that works less and stays high more. The tragedy of homelessness is becoming epidemic totally changing life in our cities with few workable solutions apparent. Hate, accusations and blame have become the common cultural language–puncuated by vulgarity and profainity, which frequently drowns out any remaining calls for mutually respectful dialogue. Our nation’s leaders are ineffective—unable or unwilling to promote harmony. Our personhood is now being attacked–potentially robbing our kids of their innocence and childhood by gender confusion. Beyond that our culture seems determined to sexualize our kids. Here is a real excerpt from a book designed for kids entitled “Let’s Talk About It” that actually is placed in some school districts in our nation:

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some porn, it’s a fun sugary treat.” When consumed right, porn can help you discover new aspects of your sexuality. A great place to research fantasies and kinks safely is on the internet. There’s tons of people and communities out there who share your interests and have all kinds of advice.” Then there is this advice about sending naked pics to friends: “So before you start sending your naughty masterpieces around the world, take some time to get friendly with photo editing, software and apps.”  

I would do all that plus I would make sure to create hostility everywhere—to reduce every conversation to partisan arguing; to politicize everything producing a climate in which everyone is always suspicious, angry and ready to fight.

Obviously, God has to be removed from the national, cultural conversation and churches must be discredited and made irrelevant. Whatever word they do manage to speak would be reframed and labeled as oppressive, hate-speech and attached to some unpopular political agenda that can be easily dismissed. Or even better–politicize the churches and divide them along party lines.

Then I would hand everyone devices that either fuel the anger or dull whatever lingering alarm exists through constant distraction. I would reshape entertainment. No longer would anything “wholesome” be produced. Instead, it would be much darker, dystopic, vulgar, bleak, hopeless and politically charged. I would attack mental health and create the need for addiction as well—get folks hooked on chemicals, porn, gambling, sex, binge-watching—whatever works to make them dependent and prevent clear thinking and productive habits.

I would make pleasure the highest goal and then distort what that means. I would convince people that I have their best interest in mind. Cultural apathy would be the end-game.

And when any voices ever rise up to challenge—I would use every method to silence them; to prevent them from being heard I would bully; blame; accuse; shout; threaten, turn it all political, etc. I would forgive nothing. Instead, I would just keep reminding, rehashing and reliving whatever problems exist—historical or current. I would keep it all raw, fresh and painful constantly on every screen. I would choose violence if necessary and then justify it. I would create a compelling cultural narrative to support my efforts, use all resources to promote it and then dare anyone to differ.

I would distort truth; sow confusion and raise a harvest of disorder and chaos. Then I would normalize it all.

And when good becomes known as evil; when evil is redefined as good, then I will have succeeded.

It is about destruction after all—not construction. “The thief comes only to kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10) and he ( “the accuser”– Revelation 12:10; “the father of all lies”–John 8:44) is very good at his job

The Least of These

I write this article in an attempt to heighten awareness of mental health issues. The struggle is real and challenging for those who fight this battle everyday–and for their families. Please take a moment and read; take a moment and pray for those, like my daughter, who live with this reality. Perhaps, these words may broaden understanding if just a bit and encourage more sensitivity to those in the grips of this disease.

The diagnosis was severe anxiety with catatonic depression. It was spoken over my 14 year old daughter who lay motionless—unconscious in a hospital bed. It was crushing to hear, but at least we finally had some clarity and direction.

For a couple of years we had none. We did not understand or know how to respond to her. We saw defiance; practiced tough love; made plenty of parental mistakes; hurt with her as she struggled in adolescence trying so hard to figure things out for herself, while navigating the often cruel and unforgiving world of middle school. But her ability to fully process theses challenges like most kids do was somehow off. Her awkwardness in social settings always hindered her. Friends were difficult to make and keep. She became familiar with disappointment. The release of all the resulting emotion at home was frequently tumultuous. We sought counseling, but saw only limited benefit. We tried to do our best. We reacted sometimes in unhealthy ways. We prayed. We cried. Most often we did not know what to do.

Then came that day when she just ceased functioning. Severe anxiety with catatonic depression.

As heart-crushing as that day was, it set us on a better, more informed path. She recovered from that trauma and life moved on—still uneven, but generally better. But still for her, even now several years later, many things that come naturally and easy for most young people, remain painfully hard.

She bravely tries, but it is difficult for her to put herself out there. She feels the stigma that unfairly remains attached to those who live with mental health issues. Friends remain a challenge and she often feels invisible among her peers, overlooked and let down by her Christian university system and rejected by many. She is academically gifted, beautiful both inside and out, but does not see much value in herself. Life just does seem to give her many breaks. And she looks around, imagines everyone else getting those breaks and continually loses the comparison game in her mind. She fights against the constant nagging and often debilitating voice that tells her, “what is the use.” That is her daily battle.

This is severe anxiety and depression with the added burden for her of the inattentive type of ADHD. For those who have never dealt with this, it is almost impossible to realize how defeating and disabling all of it can be. We have heard (and once said some of) it all. Shake it off! Tough love will cure it. Just snap out of it! It is nothing but laziness. Bad parenting. She doesn’t look sick. If she were my daughter…

As I write this, I am aware that even now she is hurting. Disappointments seem to often be her compainion. We keep praying for a win for her. She is stronger than she realizes, but gets weary with the battle. She knows she is loved, but occasionally would like to be affirmed by someone not her family.

She is not unique in her struggle. Mental health illness is ever increasing in our broken world. Yet it remains stigmatized and often stays hidden in the shadows of shame and fear—the unspoken disease. Those suffering are often pushed to the margins. Relationship with them involves an investment of time and patience that many, especially students dealing with their own insecurities, are unable or unwilling to make. Often they end up feeling like they don’t even matter and that is the greatest tragedy of all.

The Good News is that Jesus tends to hang out on the margins. He sees eternal value in the folks there. They are his precious “least of these.” If society positions them last, he inverts that order—elevating them to be first. That is the long-game for believers and a reason for hope when sometimes only hopelessness is felt.

Hope is what I desperately want for her. She has got so much to offer this world. She is a gift from God. Today is her birthday. I love her so much.