The Righteous Soldier

“All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:8

I bow my head, knowing that I am as responsible as the next man, but must take my responsibility to myself.


Has humanity grown so tired of battling the hidden flaws within its own walls and upon its own shores that it must now turn its attention outward and engage in oppressive wars upon the boundaries of others?

We can do this individually, or collectively as a nation. It is by our own individual or collective choices that it has come to exist. This is the flaw of the religious, the self-righteous masses of those who presume. It is the same flaw that has given rise to the most evil empires that man has ever known.

Because we have all failed so miserably within our own selves, knowingly or unknowingly, we then presume our success can be found without as we wrongly presume we have individually, or collectively attained to something other than imperfection.

When will we learn that our successes are not determined by ourselves or according to ourselves, but that we can only take credit for our failures. We can only pursue these same failures in others as an instrument of evil, rather than face them squarely and individually as men and women within our own selves. Our biggest mistake is that we can confuse our recognition of failure with that of dealing directly with them ourselves. We see them in ourselves, so we attempt to rid them in others. This is hypocrisy.

If this is the tragedy I find within myself, how much more so the world? But do I turn first to the world in order to avoid dealing with it directly within my own self?

Perhaps in doing so, I am admitting to myself that I cannot even overcome these flaws in me by myself and need the rest of the world to see them too so that we can do this together, rather than alone. This is cowardice and comes from doubt. Change begins within. And if we fail in this, we have fallen into doubt, which is not of faith.

What else then is left but to pursue a course that will rip this flaw from our heart whether we like it or not? We hate in order to learn love. We destroy in order that we should build anew. We make war in order that all should desire peace. We do what we hate in order to learn what we should love.

Or... do we learn to love what we should learn to desire to hate? It’s this question each heart will have to give an answer to.

Perhaps this is what is meant by loving thy enemy, in order to understand that we are our own enemy within. Loving thy self. For how do we love our neighbor as thy self unless we first love thy self first, despite our flaws, understanding that the flaws of others, are our own flaws.

If the oppressed hate the oppressor, if the humble hate the arrogant, if love hates pride and fear, what course does each have except war in order that we should remove what is not desired within us so that we might find what is? Our only alternative is to deny that these exist...which is a lie?

But no matter whether we admit these things exist, or deny them, we can fully realize that hate abounds. When all become transformed, no one becomes transformed. Hate begets hate no matter the noble cause. See this first in yourslves.

If this then is to be our final battle, and its outcome belongs finally to all, then I march gratefully to our ultimate destruction, whether through wars of hate in order to discover love...or wars of love in order to discover hate...so that others who come after us may learn to live...and live more abundantly.

My life becomes the beneficiary of all life that proceeds me. And this is what all of God's creation testifies to. That which preceeds should minister to that which comes after. Amen.

This is the way of those who stand over the gates of hell, the righteousness of man, his glory, and tremble at its sight, crying out to be saved.

This also was Christ’s all. He attempted to expose in man his doubt, his fear, his pride, anger, jealousy, greed, corruption, hate, his weaknesses and infirmities, his blindness and deafness to himself; all the forces of evil known to exist within us, so that we might understand that it is these that destroy us, and why we go on destroying. He was even willing to endure all those destructive forces so that we might see them in ourselves. Can you now appreciate it.

In the end, what He taught us by example is that we should desire a better way and no longer deny that evil can and will, if allowed, exist within us all. But just as evil can exist, it can be overcome so that goodness too will have its place. The choice is ours and ours alone.

To sit back waiting for a miracle is only a slothful attitude towards what we need to accomplish, so that what is to be accomplished in us can be. Another miracle will not suffice if because though one died...and was raised from the dead is not enough...how much less will be another display of a miracle be enough to determine your mind.

This is your choice...what will it be?

The destructions of war exposes these things in men, despite their willingness to admit them outright from their beginnings. In essence, it is little more than pointing the finger at others, even at the end of a rifle. And when we have grown tired of trying to rid evil in others, when we each begin to see these destructive forces in ourselves by the blood we shed, ours or someone else’s, perhaps then we can throw this off for good, and learn what has been the desire of ages for us to understand. Freewill is always preserved...whether freewilling towards destruction...or freewilling towards salvation...only we, the people can decide.

What is your choice...and how will you embrace it?

I am that man of sin. This is the beginning of what will become the end. Admit it, or don't. It's your choice. But to admit it brings it to a quicker end and a new beginning despite what the proud will offer you. And they will offer you the world in order that they not see the same in themselves.

Do not buy that lie.

Hugh Lipsius 2/6/06...the hughman1

http://hughman8.blogspot.com/