treachery

The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!
Terror and pit and snare await you,
O people of the earth.
Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit;
whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare.
Isaiah 24:16a-18

maybe it was the espresso shot kicking in, but these words really struck me this morning. Listen to the wisdom: when you know someone to be treacherous, don't be surprised when they betray you. It is foolish to assume that people who are do evil are idiots. You cannot run away or give in when they resort to fear or intimidation, because you will not be safer. In fact, you will run right into the trap that they have set for you. The terrorist's goal is to have you run, not to stand up and fight.

At Jackson Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, there lived a bully named Kio. During my 6th grade year, he threatened a friend and I that if we didn't give him 50 cents a day, he would beat us up. being pretty scrawny and afraid, we both gave in coughed up the 50 cents for one whole school year. there were times when i would even resort to stealing, to pay off my ransom. We ran at the sound of Kio's 8th grade terror and we fell into a pit of weakness and humiliation and were snared into paying this skater thug every day. What would a couple of beatings done? First off, Kio would have been found out and I doubt that my friend and I would have even been expelled for fighting when the truth was discovered. Secondly, we would have discovered a strength within ourselves to stand up to intimidation and learned that physical pain doesn't last forever. (we might have even won)

Today we live in a world filled with terror. We cannot run away from terror or it's consequences. Whether it is international terrorism, the fear of the unknown or even the terror that comes when living as a missionary in this world and a disciple of Jesus; running away is not an option. Logically, giving in to terror doesn't make sense. Spiritually, acting out of fear denies God's power and love.

Be wise. A snake is a snake. God is God. Be who God made you to be.

p.s. it is a strange religion, Christianity, that calls us to love the same enemies that it warns us about.