For the last several decades of my life, I have realized that our perceived form of human dignity holds up long enough until real and primal evil appears on the doorstep of our home wanting to bring harm and death. At that point, all our arguments and perceived dignity move into a survival mode.
That survival mode doesn’t seem to line up with our pre-conditioned responses when we are faced with the consideration of such evil. All our isolated responses that we use to fortify our comfortable conversations go out the door along with our assumptions. Remember, this is a real and primal form of evil that is ready to shed blood.
In the United States and in our geographic isolation, we have developed some dismissive ways of thinking that move us away from the real issue when facing primal evil. What will we do if evil kicks down the door and brings its evil to our lives? While we are called to first-and-foremost pray, what is your next step if evil is making its way into our home? Is the next step a continued form of resolve, a pointed stick, or some kind of weapon?
Some who have read the Sermon on the Mount and whose lust and thievery still have all their body parts intact and then demand that someone turn their cheek to an approaching evil, something might need to be reconsidered. Preparing for evil is not evil itself if the intent of our preparation is to protect the innocent ones under our care.
Thank you, Garris. I have prayed and pondered this very issue: am I wrong to prepare and practice for a possible home invasion? You helped shed some light on my ponderings. I think Jesus gave us a strong hint at the last supper when he told his disciples to go buy swords, then said two is enough. Yes, prepare (and yes practice is a part of preparation) but keep my focus on Jesus so fear doesn’t take me to the extreme. May we clearly hear what Holy Spirit is saying as we move thru this process of transformation/reformation.
Each person is given different spheres of authority based upon the calling of God – first and foremost, is the individual authority to self govern. This is the authority over the heart. We have authority to submit our heart to the Lord, to say yes to him. This individual sphere of authority is under the law of love. That is why an individual has authority, and responsibility, to turn the other cheek – if that it the only grant of authority in operation.
But we have other grants of authority which require different responses. My job, my grant of authority as a husband, is to provide for my family, protect my family, play with my family, promote my family, and plan with them. If somebody comes to attack my family, I have the authority to defend them and use lethal force to do so. I do not turn the other cheek when I am operating in that sphere of authority.
Consider the sphere of authority of a judge, a police officer, or a soldier. Different grants of authority = different zones of jurisdictional impact.
Some of us are called by the Shepherd to be “sheep dogs”; and so I will answer, “Send me Lord!” Isaiah 6:8
Love protects. Evil comes in pernicious forms of deception and unimagineable evil. if we are unaware of such and do not prepare for confrontations (spiritual. physical, mentally, etc), we won’t be able to stand, nor protect others, or ourselves. Love protects!