Yesterday afternoon the doorbell rang, which rarely happens as I live in the middle of 7 acres at the end of a long narrow drive. Looking out the window to see who had ventured to my home my eyes fell upon a young Sherriff Officer patiently waiting. After greeting one another he asked if I owned the drive and if the fence at the end of the drive was mine. I told him that they are both mine. He explained that someone had taken out ten feet of my fence, address sign and trash cubby and left. One of my neighbors was out mowing his drive and saw the car leave. Another neighbor’s teenage boy was near the road and saw the car crash into the fence and went to check on the older driver who was confused and then drove up my drive leaving pieces of his car’s undercarriage as he went.
I have another fence with a gate at the top of the drive as my drive has an access easement on it allowing another neighbor to use it to access their house as they do not have a drive. There were issues with them driving onto my property and parking, so a fence was erected between the two properties and a gate across the drive to resolve the trespassing issue. When the driver who took out the fence by the road neared the gate he thankfully turned around.
The Sheriff Officers were very kind and after discussing the damage and if I knew anyone with a black car (I did not), they went to look for the driver and damaged car. Less than an hour later I received a call from one of the Officers letting me know they had found the damaged car and the driver was an older man. The crash was an accident, and the man had vision problems. The Officer asked if I wanted to press charges for the destruction of my property. I told him that I did not but to tell the man not to drive anymore. He assured me they had that conversation.
The Officers returned to give me the man’s insurance information in case I needed to file a claim. Being unable to fix the pipe fence, one end had come out of the ground, but the other post was bent a few inches above the ground and would not straighten, I contacted the man’s insurance. The insurer took the information and said they would investigate to see who was at fault and let me know if and what they would do to repair the damage.
Thankfully only property was damaged and no one was hurt. The damage can be repaired or replaced. Accidents happen. It remains to be seen who will bear the brunt of the damage done. Will the man lose his perceived freedom to drive potentially changing his life in many known and unknown ways? Will the insurance company accept liability and repair the damage done to my property or will I bear the repair costs?
The characters of all involved, driver, property owner, witnesses, Sheriff Officers and insurance company, are laid bare by their words and actions. Each has influence and repercussions on the others involved. To my knowledge everyone involved has acted with kindness toward the older driver.
I am not on social media, so I do not really know what is going on there other than what the neighbor that was mowing when the accident happened shared with me. He said that social media was “blowing up” about the accident. Some were posting that it was a drunk driver, it was not. A confused older man who does not see well did not round the curve in the road but went straight into my fence. It was an accident; it was not malicious.
Many cars drove by while I was cleaning up the mess and looking at the damage to my property. Why post about something that you know nothing about but assume the details to be something that tantalizes your flesh? Judgments were made by people who did not have the facts. “Facts” were created to fit a narrative that elicited a response in their heart and others to gratify their fleshly desires and then those “facts” were broadcasted far and wide on social media. Unfiltered and without truth lies about the incident have taken on a life of their own.
Why has truth been thrown to the ground and then replaced by whatever meets the desires of those with a craving to gratify their lust for – you name it – recognition, followers, re-tweets, power… Power…
This world teaches us that power is IT. But is this true? In seeking power do we corrupt all that is good in ourselves, in mankind? In the Lord Jesus’s Kingdom power is loving, uplifting, helping, serving, putting others before yourself, healing and the list goes on.
What would this world look like if instead of creating a false narrative that slaked, and that for only a moment, a need to feel superior and have perceived power over another? What if instead of creating a false narrative on social media we checked on those involved in the accident to see if any help was needed?
What if we checked on the older man to see if he needed transportation after the incident and set up a way to assist him in getting groceries, getting to his doctor appointments, getting to work if he worked, helping him instead of creating a false narrative about him designed to degrade?
Instead, why not set up a platform on social media to assist the older man and following through. Instead, why not create public awareness of the needs of the elderly in the community and work on ways to assist them instead of making up a false narrative about an accident that you know little about?
That is a world I would like to live in.
One day we will, if we know God now, we will be with Him eternally residing in the New Heavens and the New Earth in His presence. But we must first go through life on this earth, that is, this time of man’s willful disobedience.
We are to be the called-out ones. We are sojourners through this land and this time of man, members of God’s family and citizens of God’s Kingdom here and now as we travel through this foreign land. We are foreigners but we are not sightseers and we do not journey alone.
God is our strength and our provision. He is our Sovereign King. We stand with Him shoulder to shoulder in this journey through our lives as we continue the epic fight for man’s souls. It is a fight that God has been preparing us for. It may not seem like He has. But He has. He knows what He is doing and what is best for us within His plans.
It is easy to think that mankind’s atrocities against others, animals and the environment are the worst that has ever been. The truth is that there is nothing new under the sun. Man is not perpetrating any new evil. We are perpetrating the same evils repeatedly, some more depraved than others but not new.
God reminded me of this over the weekend. Then I asked why, why is this allowed to go on? This evil, this gratuitous sin against all that is but especially against our Creator and God. Why is it allowed to continue?
There are two reasons and they seem to be at odds, God’s Love and the Free Will bestowed upon man, both pushing the envelope of this existence. A limit to the range of man’s free will has been set. Are we approaching the boundary line?
Many believe that we are at the precipice of the end of this age. Others believe that we are closer than the day we were born but the end is a distant future. The timeline does not matter. Our hearts toward God are what matter.
We are admonished to be ready every moment of every day to stand before God and give account of our lives. When we do this and remain in God walking in His character moment by moment, we are already at the end of this age for we are now in God’s Kingdom, still walking in man’s time – but not.
This paradox of now but not yet cannot be explained only revealed to a prepared heart. We must have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to understand. This only comes from God. This can only be bestowed.
We search for what we want only to find it is not what we thought it would be. God is the only way, in the here and now, and the only way home; He is our home.
We must stop just holding on to make it to the rapture. We need to walk with God in the here and now; letting go of the ways of man. Trust in God.
No where in the Bible are we told that God will take believers out of the fight out of the tribulation.
Noah was not rescued out of the flood; he was taken through the flood by God.
The descendants of Abraham were not taken out of the plagues of Egypt; they were taken through the plagues by God.
The Lord Jesus was crucified; God the Father did not take the cup from Him but raised Him on the third day and seated Him at His Right Hand.
The apostles were persecuted and martyred, God did not provide them a life of ease in this age but took them through the battle.
The Lord Jesus said that in this world we would be hated and reviled but to be of good cheer, He has overcome this world. He said that He would be with us always, even to the end.
God has promised us Himself; He has not promised to take us out of the fight; He has promised to be in the fight with us.
Having faced some of the cruelties of men I do not want to ever face them to that degree again. But if the choice is God with the horrors perpetrated by mankind or life of ease without God, I choose God with the pain.
Not my will but thine God.
The Lord Jesus of Nazareth has promised that the time of this world will end. Our enemy has been defeated, and we need to stop surrendering to him. God’s power is ours now to walk in His ways. The power of man will end, God’s power is – without beginning or end.
The way is through.
The way, the truth and the life is the Lord Jesus of Nazareth, fully God, fully man.
This world order will come to an end. The prince of the air has been defeated but continues to wage war against all of mankind seeking their worship and his ascent to power. The darkness is descending but there is light shining forth.
Choose God’s ways now. Tomorrow may be too late.
Choose to walk with God every moment of every day. The way is through.
Victory in the Lord Jesus of Nazareth has been declared. The end is future. Its fulfillment is now in the Kingdom of God residing in all who are His.
You are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Walk through this life with God.
Celebrate your life in God.
Walk through all that is happening in this world with God. He is our only hope.