I think we all have had times where we’ve felt like you mention, Lory. Anger is definitely an emotion that we all are familiar with. How we respond in those moments may be as much a factor of circumstances and opportunities as opposed to how much willpower or self-discipline we have. It should be a caution to us to not judge others too quickly.

I don’t have the answers for solving the deep angst that people feel regarding some of the political and religious shifts in the world. I can just try to keep my eyes and ears open to others’ stories, and stay aware of my own thoughts and experiences. Thanks for sharing your wisdom here today.

I love hearing what you’re thinking, Lynn. Thank you for sharing your words in all the places you do. I love reading them wherever I can find them. 🙂 This has definitely been a difficult time to understand. Maybe one day it will make sense to us. I thought about you often when I was reading this book. It was a little different from some of the other books I’ve read about our country’s divisions; this one focuses a lot on the history of key spiritual leaders that might have played a direct and/or indirect role in J6. I could probably reread it again next week and be surprised at how much I missed on the first go-round.

I can only imagine that some people feel they have nowhere else to turn other than to violent action. It isn’t true, but those are the wiles of the Deceiver keeping them from knowing the voice of the true Shepherd. I don’t know what to do other than to keep following him. I hope he will show us a way to reach even the violent, who are desperate for the very love that they are denying and pushing away.

I so appreciate your perspective, Martha. I think that the majority of people still feel this way, too, that violence is wrong. May it continue to be so. Hope you have a great weekend!