Last week we explored the deranged state of our new normal. I mentioned how our current predicament reminds me of the iconic scene from the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy’s dog, Toto, exposes the Wizard as a fraud. “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” Or, in other words, ignore what you can see with your own eyes.
To read the last week’s post, click HERE.
In some ways, the crazy train has left the station and it’s not coming back. But it’s not time to abandon the fight, either. We have an opportunity to take back territory that the enemy has stolen.
Let’s explore three ways we can stop the insanity:
1. Protect their innocence.
Tragically, there are no more safe places for our children. A shocking new report released on July 20, 2022, revealed that over 181 educators have been charged with crimes of sexual misconduct against children in our public school system, including four principals. That’s an average of an arrest per day.
For example, a man named Shannon Hall, a 31-year-old former teacher at Jamaica Gateway to the Sciences High School in New York City was arrested in June and charged with forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child, and aggravated harassment. Hall is accused of grabbing a 14-year-old female student’s breast inside his classroom and of sending texts to a 16-year-old student that said he wanted to have sex with her and threatening to kill her if she told anyone (USSA News, 2022).
Now more than ever, if kids aren’t safe at home, they stand no chance.
A few weeks ago, my 20-year-old son left the house at 7:30 a.m. to go to work wearing a t-shirt that read:
ADULTING
☆☆☆☆☆
Do not recommend.
True story. Being an adult is hard work. This reminded me that our job as parents, grandparents, and teachers is to provide cover fire for our kids while they develop the skills and emotional maturity needed to make adult decisions.
Even the entertainment industry—one of the most morally bankrupt institutions of our day—voluntarily submits to the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) rating system used to allow alert movie-goers if the film may not be suitable for younger audiences.
If we don’t speak up for our children, who will? We must force our lawmakers to prioritize protecting our children from sexual predators, particularly at school. Understanding that money talks, many fearless parents have threatened to pull their children out of public schools if they continue to ignore us.
We can concede that it is ok to validate the choices of consenting adults—like the woman in the interview from last week who is marrying her long-time partner next month—and at the same time, provide the protection needed for children to grow up in a healthy, nurturing environment where their innocence is fiercely protected. Their time for adulting will come soon enough.
2. Don’t deny reality.
I’ve noticed another bizarre trend. The more that we witness evil invading every aspect of our daily lives, the more we—as adults—are becoming naïve.
A 2020 Barna study asked over two thousand random adults if they agree or disagree with the statement “people are basically good.” Even though the response was slightly lower than when the same survey was conducted twenty years ago, 69% still responded that they believe that most people are good.
Many would like to think that, left to our own devices, humanity will get better. We can trust women to make the right decision about their bodies (I use that expression lightly). We can trust that criminals will only buy guns legally, and we can trust that career politicians are working in our best interest.
As they say, De-Nile ain’t just a river in Egypt.
Thankfully, many are awakening to this horribly contorted new reality. We can’t unsee what we’ve seen over the last few years. And we shouldn’t ignore it, either. Who knew that one would need to become a political activist and fight to protect our livelihoods, afford the gas to drive to work, feed our families, and raise our sons and daughters to be, well… sons and daughters? But, once again, here we are.
We can no longer afford the luxury of remaining silent—particularly as believers in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:11 tells us to not only avoid evil but also to expose it.
“You can bury your head in the sand, or you can search for the truth. Both require digging” (author unknown).
3. Normalize the natural.
God, in His infinite wisdom, created the Natural Order for our protection. Any attempt to subvert this order creates the opportunity for the weaker individuals in any society to be exploited by those who are stronger.
When we allow men with their anatomy in tack to assault a woman in the women’s bathroom, that’s the strong exploiting the weak. When we allow doctors and pharmacists to chemically castrate our children for profit, that’s the strong exploiting the weak. When we refuse to incarcerate violent criminals out of concern for their mental health—instead of the welfare of their victims—that’s the strong exploiting the weak.
What would happen if we began normalizing the natural once again? What would happen if, as a society, we made a concerted effort to swing the pendulum back to correct the equilibrium that’s been so badly disturbed? Maybe we should start our own campaign.
The Wrap Up
As we established earlier, the laws of nature that have governed the previous thousands of years, in every culture in every country on the planet, are suddenly contested. Once upon a time marriage was thought to be exclusively between one man and one woman. Once upon a time babies were born either male or female. Once upon a time murder, assault, and theft were punishable offenses.
Do you want to know how we can right this sinking ship? Follow God’s laws—even the ones we don’t like. “Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever. For the Lord loves justice, he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever” (Psalm 37:27–29).
So, let’s forget about returning to normal—it’s overrated. Normal is just a setting on the dryer. We need to focus our attention on returning to what’s natural. Or may God help us all.