“The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone that has been born of the spirit.” John 3:8
It is predicted that man has been made to bear two images: one born of dust and the other of heavenly stuff. So first let it be said that countries are born of men and like men they are short lived. They blossom into something. In that moment they show brilliance but because of human frailties they shrink away into the shadows. They endure burdens due to sin and they suffer simply as a pedagogic symbol so in history become a demonstrative example from which all can learn.
At the slightest the maturation process is meant to impart upon us a modicum of patience as it is epitomized in the Book of Job. During these very seemingly unjust progressions the heavenly stuff is imparted and the spirit is nurtured, developed and eventually given birth. There is, however, a bevy of nuances riddled with many celestial dangers, the least of which suggest no guarantee that the heavenly material we may be born of is the right stuff. Evil is pervasive. Its position in and perceived claims on the world has not now and may never acquiesce.
Salvation is not a right. Redemption is by grace alone. Earned for sure but by what means may be by far the most mysterious gateway of them all. It is the doorway by which a living death is defeated and a rebirth into true life bears witness. In short, it is arrogant to believe true life is a guaranteed right of passage.
There are signs along the way: humility, kindness, charitable giving, self-sacrifice juxtaposed to cruelty, greed, and self-righteousness that give us a good run for our money and test our meddle one way or the other. The camps in which these signs reside fight over the soul of the land and the hearts of men like two prize fighters. The one in a corner wearing gold trunks, the other in a corner wearing putrid. To the victor go the spoils, as strategically good and evil lay siege to the inverted high and low ground and chant the mantra, “no prisoners”. The battle lines are drawn on a creepy cascading field, with a devious psychological persona sliding on a slippery slope slowly revealing what we have come to know as character.
The outcome of the analysis can be summed up in terms which go to reputation and to questions like, “What’s in a name?” A good name is priceless and at best associated with wisdom. Some have only their reputation to barter with. This is not more evident when it comes to acting in business or politics on the world stage. It is equally foretelling in the day of death as in the day of birth, each marking a beginning and an end. Only in the cycle do we find the importance. Each represents an empty slate where nothing lies ahead but the need to prove oneself while at the same time being memorialized and honored by others or disregarded with very little fanfare. It is in the endgame where one should take things to heart but it is in the preparation where the true spirit is built.
It is in the struggle where the heart and mind are tested. Frivolity is a waste of time. Whereas through chastisement and a heavy heart does the soul find strength. So the heart of the wise are often found in a house of mourning, conversely the heart of stupidity quite frequently resides in a house where there is a false sense of rejoicing. Nowhere is this more evident than the premature celebration in the end zone for without restraint and the discipline of practice there can be no celebration. Therefore, isn’t it wiser to celebrate a successful practice than a superficial winning? This is not an affront. It is the ultimate in good sportsmanship. Naïve! It is better to be naïve and not easily offended than those who are easily offended and rush into stupidity.
Born Again huh? To be born means to enter into life; to be born again presupposes renewed life from one less worthy, sinful in any case but above all redeemed by grace. The focus is on living more devoutly verses an actual shaking off of an old life or overcoming a symbolical form of death. In either case, both actual and symbolic life and death must be rejected and overcome to satisfy the definition. In essence, the entire picture must be framed or understood with a child’s heart. It is not tantamount to the innocence of a newborn but is rooted in the fight against having or maintaining a mean spirit. Although this slant, is an obvious preferred human cultural bias, since most of us have a strong propensity to avoid pain.
To further understand the concept of "born again" is to view it as a transformative practice; where successful migration through the process, above all, requires an adequate measure of grace. The soul of a country is analogous to a conglomerate which is essentially akin to one soul. Where grace comes into play is on a scale where those souls balance heavily in favor of just not a perceived good but an actual measured good. Herein lies the mystery. Since there is good and bad in all of us, perhaps it is the overwhelming urge to side with what is right or wrong that gives us or denies us the needed grace to overcome. The result is the ability to open the spirit which will lead to the inevitable process of being born again. The rebirth is essentially equal to change and therefore happens regardless. The obvious danger is on what side of the fence does the fall take place? The key again rests within the mystery of what has become known as grace.
So what is this grace and where does it come from? For sure it is critical. Do we make our own grace or is it somehow destined or embedded in the process. For some salvation is always not possible, for remember even in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, the needed measure of righteousness could not be found for its deliverance. Grace is the most significant and most profound part of the process; without it there is no hope. Barring a Sodom-and-Gomorrah-scale damnation, the question is, can a country go through a type of living death and recover?
Living death is certainly a relative term but one way to look at it is a type of hopelessness, not necessary complete, but a downward spiral built on one societal failure after another. No matter the intentions, if one is going to be able to recover from the nosedive only the right pilot with enough fortitude, capable of pulling back on the proverbial yoke is needed to prevent the inevitable crash into hell. It means everything you attempt to do, every offering you present in the process, is corrupt and therefore rejected. It is a state of being where the balance of the roll call is tipped primarily in favor of the self-righteous. The downward trend will continue to happen until a measure of repentance is satisfactory to counter the mounting transgressions.
If and only if the errors are first and foremost recognized, then and only then can a proper penance be devised and adhered to. The science of longevity is in understanding wisdom. It does not matter what the leadership preaches. It does not matter if they tell us it is matter of destiny or deeds. The question again needs to be asked: do we truly understand grace? Do we understand the relationship between grace and the anthropomorphic plot on the part of good and evil and the conscious and subconscious forces willing to lay down a ransom? The magnitude of the ransom determines the progression and station on the path. Deliverance is not a given so we need to be constantly vigilant–because the positions on the path are besieged with rewards and setbacks.
For example, lip service will not always work; in the process what happens when your quota of lip service has gone bankrupt. Similarly, good works and charitable giving is not enough. Sometimes the station on the path calls for a comprehensive strategy with no wiggle room to falter. The prescription defining what is meant by the term ransom can stagger the imagination. What is fair becomes relative when the ante has been raised so high, unbeknownst to you, only the straight and the infinitely narrow, proverbial “passing through the eye of a needle” is the solution.
Finally, to help us navigate these treacherous waters, we need to enlist the help of a few spiritual tactical directives. First we need a compass that will allow us to stir away from self-righteousness. Nothing can be more blinding. It is riddled with deception. To get ensnared by such actions can quickly get one off course. Second, we need a barometer to measure the pressure of hypocrisy and the role and weight it has in any given situation. Such duplicity is stealth-like and one of the biggest heart killers. Lastly we need a scale to measure and put in check greed and the force it has in pushing people over the edge. Relief or controls need to be put in place to combat the urges of such burdens. The oppressive trickle-down effects of greed are insidious and the root of so many ills. These are three of the prevalent traits of evil in a society. We as a people have evolved a long ways. We have the insight and are hopefully smart enough to install preventative societal taboos as stopgap measures to assist in fighting these behavioral ills. Without assistance, the risk is a never-ending spiral of a country reinventing itself unfortunately in vain, not for the better but for the obvious worse.
