The Monster In The Closet
Division shows up everywhere, in marriages, churches, on the job, in politics, and about everywhere else in life. Division can be small – a minor disagreement between two people who eventually decide it is okay to disagree, and nothing ever comes of it. Divisions can also be huge by starting a war that kills millions.
In marriage, divorce usually does not come from a significant one-time event. What seems like the big event that blew everything up usually stems from a series of events over a long period.
In the workplace, an employee may miss too many days of work, argue with the boss one too many times, or the boss may be enough of a jerk to bring the work crew to a boiling point. Then it all comes to a head, and someone gets fired or quits.
We all disagree on some things. That includes people who love each other. There is this feeling within society today that if you disagree with someone or disapprove of their actions, you must hate them. That conclusion makes no sense whatsoever.
What about the body politic?
In 1856 Senator Charles Sumner was beaten unconscious on the Senate floor by Representative Preston Brooks. Five years later, the nation finds itself in a Civil War. The beating of Sumner was not the event that plunged us into war, but it was one of the dozens of things that lit the powder keg over time.
Slavery divided the country before the nation’s birth. The government argued vehemently over the issue while framing the Constitution; the argument continued as the country added states and laws were passed. The famous Lincoln/Douglas debates were mainly over the issue of slavery. The topic of slavery kept popping up its head for decades until the nation broke out into war.
We have not seen beatings on the Senate floor recently, but the division in the nation is undeniable. As Jesus and Abraham Lincoln taught us, “A house divided shall not stand.” Either the division gets fixed, or the house crumbles to the ground.
In marriages, when the trust is gone, it is a long road to recovery; often, without trust, healing is impossible. It is the same everywhere. If an employer cannot trust an employee to keep his hands out of the till the working relationship will end.
Trust is key.
With that said, many Americans have lost faith in the elections. Many do not believe President Biden received anywhere close to eighty million votes.
The disproven Russian collusion acquisitions have caused many Americans to abandon trust in anything congress does.
Once people saw that the Inflation Reduction Act included the hiring of tens of thousands of IRS agents, many became convinced the government would soon be coming after anyone with conservative views.
The raid on President Trump’s home has eroded many Americans’ trust in the FBI, the Justice Department, and the administration in general.
Whether you believe the above events are true or false, whether or not you think these things are of no consequence or the end of the Republic, the truth is a growing percentage of the American people see at least some of these things as huge problems.
For those that believe the above list is a list of conspiracy theories, please consider this. If you have a child who thinks a monster is in the closet, you must convince the child that the beast does not exist to solve the problem. If you simply tell the child, “There is no monster in the closet,” the child lays there afraid until they fall asleep. Opening the closet door, and showing the child that no monsters reside inside, brings a solution.
In America, no one is opening the door and showing people the absence of a monster in the closet. Why is no one opening the door? Is it because there is a monster in there? Many Americans fall asleep at night afraid of the monster in the closet – the monster of a worthless Constitution and the loss of a Republic.
Trust in our elected officials and the division within the nation cannot be fixed until people are convinced there is no monster in the closet.
Preacher Tim Johnson is Pastor of Countryside Baptist Church in Parke County, Indiana. His weekly column “Preacher’s Point” may be found at: www.preacherspoint.wordpress.com