A step sideways:

Before I begin this post, I need to expose myself. I have been a cheat, self- righteous, arrogant, a thief, a liar, and one who demonized other people. I’ve been motivated by lust (and succumbed to it), selfish, mean, offensive, vengeful, callous, arrogant, unforgiving, and driven by my emotions and my needs. When I looked back on my life, it wasn’t footprints in the sand that I saw (though, they must have surely been there for me to have made it this far). Instead, in my wake, I saw brokenness, pain, destruction, and a sea full of human flotsam and jetsam. I was mostly driven by what pleased me. Even with all of these failings, I still considered myself a reasonably good person. After all, I hadn’t killed anyone or committed any truly heinous acts. The truth is, I was measuring myself by a worldly yardstick. But after living half a life for more than half a lifetime, I learned what one of my nieces had known since she was only a child: our decisions and actions have consequences.

I stated previously that the beasts of the field and humanity were created on the same day. God could have easily created humanity on any day or created the beasts of the field on some other day. However, He chose to create both classes of beings on the same day. Upon reflection (please realize that this is only my opinion) it may be to remind us of what we are not, but what we can become under the right circumstances. I say this because animals act on instinct. They don’t weigh the consequences of their actions. They do what’s best for them at any given point. When the lion hunts, it is to fill a need. It doesn’t care about the feelings of its prey or the prey’s family and friends. The fish in the bowl doesn’t stop to ponder who or what is feeding it. An automated feeder is just as good as a human hand. All it knows is that its hunger will be satisfied. That same fish will take food off the very hook that will lead to its eventual death. As the pain of the hook sinks in and the fish starts to struggle, perhaps realizing that by its choice it has participated in its own demise, does it wish it had made better choices? I don’t know. What I do know is that I made a conscious choice to be a fish no longer and not to be caught on someone else’s hook.

Society tells us that we are sexual animals. And yes, we are that and a host of other things. However, we don’t have to succumb to any and all callings from our bodies. That is the main difference between animals and humanity: We have the capacity to reason, to overcome our animal nature, if we choose. As much as society tells us that we are sexual animals, to do what feels good to us at the moment, and to do what comes naturally; society frowns on the results of its gospel: broken relationships, fatherless and motherless children, the ever increasing strain on the system, and yes, the spread of disease. We celebrate the parts that make up the whole because they make us feel free and in control (here is the irony, we are taught that being in control is when we act out of control and give in to our animal nature), but we complain about the finished product. We don’t like the broken families, hurt feelings, and loneliness. But this is what we ordered. And actions have consequences.

In The Garden, the choice was never between one tree and another tree. It is and has always been a choice between spiritual fathers and lineages. One lineage will lead you to life and the other to death and destruction. When God speaks to Cain (Genesis 4:7) to inform him that “sin is crouching at the door” (notice the animal-like description of sin), He also tells him that the sin can be mastered. However, Cain instead submits to his jealousy and rage. He does what makes him feel better, regardless of the consequences. In the 11th chapter of 2 Samuel, David is driven by, and acts on his lust. When faced with the consequences of his actions, he compounds his first poor decision with something even worse. Although he acts like an animal (doing only what feels good and satisfying to him, with a complete disregard to the wreckage he leaves behind), he is making a human choice of which lineage he wants to follow.

Several years ago, I learned what the term “jumpoff” means. The friend who educated me on the term also admitted that she would like to be in a stable relationship, but there seems to be a shortage of “good men”. The sad reality is that she had taken an active role in perpetuating a system that will, in the end, make it harder for her and other women to find a “good man”. Many of the men are already getting what they want from a “relationship”. What’s even sadder is that she spoke as if it were a norm. I’ve heard similar stories from men I’ve known. But again, why does the final product surprise us when we’ve participated in the building of it every step of the way? It would be a rare thing to plant apple seeds and then reap a crop of pomegranates.

Look, I get it, this post is on a church website and I’ve embedded bible verses to illustrate my points, but this is also something that can be observed and measured. Math isn’t a religious subject. Math is simply math: you add up the numbers and you get a result. The same thing applies here. Society tells us to, “Do what feels good. As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone” or “I support you in your truth”. The problem is that we don’t live in our own closed ecosystems: we are connected. One person’s actions affects and can affect other lives. If a man is committing adultery with another man’s wife and they keep it secret, is it only affecting them? Perhaps if the man in question goes to knock on the husband’s door and explains to him that “the heart wants what the heart wants”, the husband will understand. Anyone taking that course of action should also be prepared to duck. The reality is that it will make the offender feel better, because he takes no responsibility if he just follows the leanings of his heart. That sounds like a wonderful way for the offender to live. But I can tell you that you will only leave destruction and brokenness in your wake if you live that kind of life.

 What if I leave my wife for another woman simply because it feels good to me at the time and because “we love who we love”, does my choice truly not affect anyone else? You already know that answer to that question. Society is providing us with an out – a feel good pill. You don’t need to honor your commitments or take responsibility for your actions, because your feelings made you do it. Can you imagine if everyone just acted based on his or her feelings? Things would be even worse than they are now.

Here’s the thing: Some of the most committed couples I know admit that there are times when they may not like their partner. However, they, in their maturity, realize that the feeling will pass. But we are instead encouraged by society to act on our impulses. We’re also told that monogamy and commitment to one person isn’t natural. Perhaps it isn’t. But, getting a job, caring for a loved one, showing compassion for the poor, and fighting for wrongs committed against others isn’t natural either. These things don’t always benefit us, but we do them. Reading the same story to your little niece for the fourth or fifth time, even though you’re fully prepared to shoot yourself at the mention of another choo choo train, also isn’t natural. However, you do it because it makes her happy. As human beings, we can choose to love and we can choose hate. We can choose to forgive others or choose not to.  All of these things make us different from the animals. And because we have the capacity to make choices, it also sets a higher bar for humanity than it does for animals. But if you say something loud enough and often enough, even if it contradicts the actual facts, people will believe. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”

Recently, I watched a documentary about people who believe in a flat earth. I know, who would believe something like that in this day and age, right? Well, they exist. A scientist, who believes in science (and a round earth) made the point that to some, it sounds like a harmless belief system. But the movement seems to be spreading. Even some celebrities have started to buy into the belief that a round earth is part of a vast and intricate conspiracy concocted by any number of unknown puppet masters. If you disagree with them, you are either an agent of the puppet masters or brainwashed. At one of the flat earth meetings, a young boy stood up and recounted how his dad had taught him about flat earth. Later in the meeting, one of the main proponents of the movement read a letter from another child recounting how they took a stand during a science class to denounce their science teacher’s proclamation that the earth is round and travels around the sun. What do you think those students will teach their children when they have families of their own?

It’s true. We are made of the same stuff as animals. However, we have been given the ability to overcome our animal-like tendencies. We don’t have to act on every urge that comes upon us. We can choose our lineage! Even if you were like me, a card-carrying member of the animal lineage, there is an adoption service, and rebirth. And that is comforting. See you next time. Be well and be whole.