May 31, 2018

We would have two guys standing in front of us, taking turns. One would pick, then the other. Back and forth.
I usually wasn’t the first, but, thankfully I was usually not the last.
That next to the last person…you could always see a visible sigh of relief…he wasn’t chosen last.
The last guy, head down, joins the team that chose him by default.
The games begin, two enemy teams warring against each other, playing by the rules.
We didn’t need umpires or referees.
It was just more fun to play fair.
Who wants to win with the cry, “You cheated!” echoing through the air?
The game would end.
One side wins, the other side loses.
No one remembers who was chosen last.
They all head home.
Friends.

Now we choose sides.
We know we are right, so we choose the ones that agree with us.
We battle against the enemy on the other side, this time with words instead of rules of play.
We can ignore our own little “sins” because we see the “shortcomings” in everybody else.
Somehow, that makes us better…that, at least, we are not like them.
Or, are we.
Sometimes, we walk away as friends.
Usually not.

I realize as I write this that there are really just two sides, though, when you think about it.

Born once crowd.
Born twice crowd.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Christianity is like the sun. By it, I can see everything else.”

When you have that second Life inside of you, the Eternal One, your viewpoint changes.

I wonder which side you are on.