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Tunnel Vision
12.11.15
   




How often have people said something or done something that makes you think to yourself, "What on earth could they possibly be thinking?!" To us, it's clear that they are on the wrong track, yet from their perspective we are the ones who are confused and not seeing clearly.

For example, I recently came across someone who is absolutely convinced that Jesus has returned and lives here on earth, among us, right now. Yes, really. As we know, Jesus Himself clearly stated that false christs will come, and He warned us not to pursue any such tales of His return. He also described His second coming, which would be an unmistakable event, and make it impossible for false christs to fulfill. (Matthew 24:23-27) Nevertheless, even after being offered this scripture, this person still refused to believe they were following a false christ. Not only that, but they claimed to understand what these passages really meant, as if Jesus didn't really mean what He said.

What on earth could they possibly be thinking?

In reality, the answer is probably much more simple than we might expect. Like any of us, they believe they discovered the truth. And like many of us who believe we have discovered the truth, they wanted to hold on to the truth as tightly as they possibly could. If we were being honest, this is completely understandable. Any of us who find what we believe to be the truth rarely if ever let go of it lightly. But unfortunately, sometimes we can hold so tightly that we give no room for other possibilities.

Since the beginning of my walk with God, I've given a lot of thought to deception and why so many people succumb to it. Of all the things that could happen, the one thing I didn't want under any circumstances was to be deceived. I didn't want to be misled or fall by the wayside. I didn't want to abort God's plan for my life by falling for deception. And I didn't want to lose even a single thing God intended for me to have, as I have seen happen to so many others before me. So I always applied myself to earnestly seeking God's wisdom, and did so often. I also prayed earnestly that He would keep me from deception in every way.

As it turns out, the reasons for deception are many and varied -- far more than I can go into here. (Which, incidentally, is why I wrote an entire book on the subject -- one that is not for the easily offended I might add.) And in my view, it seems there are some particular practices which have become almost a norm in society today. These are things which have great potential to lead us into deception, but unfortunately, many don't recognize just how serious these things can be. And to be frank, many people's lives are being harmed, even destroyed, because of them, and they don't even recognize it.

What I'm speaking of is the dismiss, ignore, and vilify mindset, and it goes a little something like this. Anything that is contrary to our thinking should be dismissed out of hand. Anyone who expresses an opinion or belief different from ours should be ignored. And anyone who can't be ignored should be vilified, and have all kinds of negative labels applied to them in order to silence them.

We don't have to go very far to see that this mindset is thriving in our society. We can find it in politics, in the entertainment industry, in social issues, in family issues, and, yes, even within the Church as well. And, it... is... spreading.

As I said, many don't recognize this for what it is, but this is deception at work. Even if a person believes their cause is the most righteous of all, and has the best of intentions, this is still deception. Truth doesn't need opposing views to be dismissed out of hand -- truth stands on its own. Truth doesn't need those with differing opinions to be ignored -- truth stands on its own. And truth doesn't need to vilify anyone in order to make itself look superior. Only deception needs to do these things, and we have been encouraged repeatedly and often to embrace this way of thinking and acting.

This mindset is poisoning our society, and it cannot, and will not lead us to anything good. (Proverbs 14:12) Not only does this foster sharp divisions where there previously were small divisions, or no divisions at all, it also destroys lives and leads people astray.

The fact of the matter is, we don't truly understand something until we see it from all sides. To be actively blind to other possibilities, more often than not, will be of great disservice to us, yet this is exactly what many of us are practicing.

As Christians, if we want to receive all that God has for us, and not end up falling by the wayside, or falling for deception, then we must be flexible enough to leave room for God's correction. If we are actively and repeatedly turning a blind eye to anything that opposes our thinking, then we aren't leaving room for God. Remember the person I spoke of earlier who believes Jesus has come again? They turned a blind eye to an opposing view; how well did it work out for them?

But also, for all of us as a whole -- Christians and non-christians alike -- if we don't want our life to become isolated and contentious, and if we actually want what is right for society, then we have to stop turning a blind eye to other possibilities and stop vilifying those who believe differently than us. Being open to other possibilities is a big part of what guards against deception, twisted logic, people seeking to create their own personal armies, and our own natural tendencies to establish and reside in comfort zones of our own making. The dismiss, ignore, and vilify mindset deepens divides, and throws us into even greater turmoil.

Let's look at it this way. Think of someone who has accused you of something. It doesn't have to be just one person, it can be a group of people, or a particular way of thinking, or set of shared beliefs people subscribe to. Maybe they made a broad generalization about a group you are a part of. Maybe they said something about a set of beliefs you hold. Or maybe they said something about you personally. Whatever the case may be, you know in your heart of hearts that what they said not only came from a skewed perspective, but was patently false.

So consider these people for a moment. You can see how wrong their accusations were, correct? You can see how they are only seeing from a single perspective, ignoring, or seemingly ignoring, facts that support something different than what they have claimed, correct? Of course you can. We all have someone who thinks something about us that is either an exaggeration, an out-right lie, or a figment of their imagination. They believe they know who we are, but we can see they actually don't. They believe they see clearly, but we can see they are obviously off in some ways.

Now think about this. What makes us think we see the other side for who they really are? What makes us think that we aren't making some of the very same mistakes they have made regarding us? Do we really believe we are this infallible?

What is it you're not seeing about the other side? Do you know? Do you even care? Have you taken the time to see from other perspectives? Have you taken time to move past the angry and hateful rhetoric on both sides to try to understand the other person's point of view? Or have you allowed a thought, or an idea, or rhetoric, to harden you against these seemingly opposing views?

It takes a person of real character to consider these things and answer them honestly.

Many of us don't even realize just how hardened we have become -- Christian and non-christian alike. It is so easy to believe we know someone through and through, but if all we know is that we don't like what someone believes, then we know nothing about them. If we label people as nothing more than hateful, or stupid, or evil, or perverse, or heathens, or bible-thumpers, based solely on a few select differences, then we know nothing about them.

Unfortunately, the knee-jerk reaction of most is to shut ourselves off from any opposing views. Much like the person I mentioned earlier, many refuse to consider anything beyond their own thoughts and desires, much less consider the possibility that they have fallen for deception. The reasons for this are many and varied: It's too hard. It takes too much time and effort to try to understand the other side. They are just hate mongers anyway. I like this side because it sounds better and is more appealing to me. I have better things to do, and so on.

You have better things to do? Better than bridging some gaps, tearing down some barriers, and healing some wounds that if left untreated will fester, grow, and negatively affect our lives individually and as a whole? Really? None of us can say it won't affect us. Have you seen the world lately? Have you seen what is happening? When division grows, peace and safety go away.

But, I have to admit, this only appeals to reasonable people. Those who want to live in peace, who want to know the truth, and who actually want to extend grace to others -- or inclusiveness and acceptance as per the secular terminology of the day. Only these will see the value and the reasonableness of this, and will actively seek to be peacekeepers.

Unreasonable people, meaning those who have an agenda to push, those who want power, those who want something regardless of the cost and regardless of the down side, will not accept reason no matter what. We will always have the unreasonable among us, but we must stop allowing the unreasonable to use us as pawns in their own personal armies and make us casualties in their wars.

If we stop seeing people washed in rhetoric, we may find that others aren't nearly as evil as we thought they were. In fact, we may even learn something from them, and become better people for it. We can still disagree, and in some instances maybe we should disagree. But at least we will have a better understanding of why others believe what they believe, and why we believe what we believe, rather than relying on rhetoric, misinformation, and talking points.

If you liked this message, then I'd like to ask you to please consider contributing to the work God has called me to do by giving a financial gift. Your support is vital in helping the message of "Freedom in Christ" go forth, bringing liberty to all. (Galatians 5:1) The Lord has made us to lean upon one another, and in doing so, together we are strengthened. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) So take all that I have freely offered, but then, consider giving back, as this is what the Lord would have us do. Click the "Gifts" link at the top of this page to find out how you can help.

May God bless you richly!

Mark Moyers



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