Life is so much more than a game. Life is not bounded by sidelines, or defined by statistics, or determined by a finite length of time. When a team loses a game, the coach doesn’t look at them and admonish them that they are on the “wrong side of history.” He tells them they need to return to blocking, or fielding, or clearing for a rebound — getting back to fundamentals.
Whenever I hear someone say that another is “on the wrong side of history” I just shake my head. Are they so naïve as to suggest that the only history that matters is that which is being written today? And often, these are our highest elected leaders. Do they think we are stupid, or just gullible?
I’m not your coach, and no one here on the planet is the author of history. Time, according to the Christian worldview you and I likely hold, is infinite. So if you’re trying to make sense out of what happens this time of year from the Supreme Court or after our quadrennial general elections like the one coming in November, I’m not sure you can. The country is a divided nation ideologically and that didn’t change in the last couple of weeks and it won’t change after the election in November. The winners will win an election, but they will not win the union.
My family has always respected the office of the President. Need proof? That’s called nearly 30 years of military service. The truth is leaders lead, and it’s always time for true leaders to figure out how to organize all of us into a more perfect union. I’m not sure I see that happening—but I digress. What should I do as a leader? What should we all do? Let’s get back to fundamentals.
You either deal with the truth, or the truth will deal with you. What is truth? Does the truth matter to you? Just ask people, “What’s more important to you, truth or freedom?” Their answer will let you know something about them. History has been around a lot longer than our young country, and to be on the wrong side of history means that the truth has dealt with you. Just ask the ancient Greeks and Romans, and other proud democracies and republics about the truth. The truth dealt with them and they never returned to fundamentals.
Our history is not red or blue, orthodox or progressive, liberal or conservative. There are those on the side of truth, and then there’s everyone else. That’s in John 18:37. Read the book. The author of history draws a line of truth right through the middle of the culture. On which side of this line of truth are you? I would suggest that you can be on God’s side of truth, while being condemned by our senior leaders for being “on the wrong side of history.”
By design, my entire family is joining me for a few days of R&R after the coming election and, among other things, we are always going to talk about fundamentals—about truth and freedom and history. I guess I am about as close to a “coach” as they get. Ours is not a perfect family—we all have our struggles. But, it’s not about perfection, is it? It’s about fundamentals.
If you know the truth, then I’m sure your best wishes are with us and those who stand with a Christian worldview. But if you don’t, at least our family will know that you’re out there and will be better able to hold you close when the truth begins to deal with you. Look for us—we’re going to be the ones with our arms open wide. It’s about fundamentals.
Want to know more about truth? Then why don’t you ask?