Yes, you read that right: both things can be true.
A few years back, I took the rare step of sharing this blog with some people in my life as a means of explaining a comment I had made where I hadn't provided proper context. Back when I was still on Facebook, I shared the following excerpt (out of frustration and what I believe to be righteous anger):
People now had the freedom to express "my truth" in ways and in frequency that may not have been available to previous generations. "My truth", "your truth", "his truth", and "her truth" was "in". But what was no longer "in" was "the truth." I mean, who wants to hear that when "my truth" is so, so important?? 😡
... Yeah, I should have shared more, if not the entire blog post. You can find that now in the link I embedded in the previous sentence, but I should have at least also shared what I wrote next in that post:
I know a thing or two about "my truth." Discovering "my truth" became very important as I was trying to come to grips with what was at the time a failed adulthood, along with all the pain that led me to expend all my energy on merely surviving my entire life up to that point. Changing "my truth" then became just as essential as I finally grew and began rewriting my story. "My truth" is still a very important part of my life, but as I grow in relationship with Jesus more and more, His truth also needs to become more important.
A few friends had challenged me on this and a couple other things, but what I did not expect, after having shared a link to this page, was the following reaction after one of them had also read this post (ultimately the post where I believed I lost my friendship with my childhood best friend):
It seems like you're saying one thing at one point and then saying another thing at another point.
Actually, I don't agree with that. Both things can be true. What I was trying to say was that when I was first getting to know my wife-to-be, although she did indeed lay down a dealbreaker that I couldn't be an American Democratic liberal, I still had a decision to make. I could have said, no, I'm not going to convert or even consider converting to American Republican conservativism, and we would've broken up right then and there. The truth is I wrestled with it, and I took it to God in prayer for months before I made my final decision. I knew there was no way of faking it. If I was going to start voting down-the-line conservative, it had better be for real. I wrestled with God for months (not like Jacob, of course...) but the result was where He opened my eyes and He revealed more things about how diabolically evil the Democratic Party's platform was. Another thing to consider as well is that He was actually starting to reveal certain things to me even before I started dating my love. As such, Donald Trump, even with his warts, was (and still is) the best option.
So yes, both things can be true. My love laid a very thick condition for us to continue at that time, and I took it God and He revealed things and changed my heart. It does not have to be "one or the other."
So, I say all the above because, after writing my thoughts on things discovered over the last few years, primarily about conservative psychology, I had a rehearsal recently with some bandmembers (we have an upcoming house party gig in August, after (hopefully) the dust finally begins to settle post-wedding / post-honeymoon / post-move-in) where as we were all packing up to leave, politics came up in conversation. The other three guys that were at rehearsal are liberals. I kept my mouth shut. The topic du soir was the previous evening's debate between Trump and Joe Biden.
Although I kept my mouth shut, as I was listening I was taking note of not only how deep the deception has gone for many folks, but also the nature of the convoluted thinking that has resulted from it.
Basically, here's what I captured from the discussion that was had:
1.) Biden bombed the debate, and it was obvious. (Yes, even hardcore liberals are admitting this!)
2.) Trump, on the other hand, performed (almost) flawlessly. By "flawlessly," it was meant that Trump was calm, cool, collected, and mature, and he didn't even try to attack Biden. (Yes, even hardcore liberals are admitting this!)
3.) Biden lost the election with his performance at this debate, but if the Democratic party wanted to swap him out for someone else, Kamala Harris is still not a good option. (Yes, even hardcore liberals are admitting this!)
But, somehow, they would still choose to vote for Biden or Harris over Trump, because of all the "lies" he propagates. Yes, the deception runs deep.
In the same discussion, one of my bandmembers even mocked "right-wing Christian nationalists" for wanting to have as many babies as possible, and then in the next breath defended the waves of "immigration" because the birth rates here are too low, and "immigrants" are needed to help keep the population from plummeting.
I still have deep frustrations (and, I believe, righteous anger) about conservative psychology, which I've detailed in recent posts. More importantly, I've been able to help open my love's eyes about that. But then, I'm reminded of some of the unbelievable things the liberals in my life believe. Because my love and I aren't sure about whether we want to have children, we certainly don't fit the stereotypical mold of most American Republican conservatives. We have enough money to marry but not enough to marry and have kids. Plus, raising children is a lot of work; we may decide that they're ultimately not part of our vision for what we want our marriage to be and act accordingly. But I don't agree with the sweeping statements my one bandmember made. I don't think it's wrong for whites to reproduce. I don't think it's wrong for Christians to reproduce. And I don't think it's wrong for conservatives to reproduce. But I would argue: to each their own, between them and God. That's what my love and I are going to do. And yes, both things can be true.
Since today's post is running on July 4th, the 248th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, I thought I would share this Bible verse. Four years later, our country still needs to repent:
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14, NKJV
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