November’s election results deserve a cautious celebration. We have met the enemy face to face on their home field and won – exactly once! And if we look at the places we lost it seems close. But it wasn’t.
They won exactly as much as they needed to win using the same dirty tricks they used before. If they’d needed more, they would have manufactured more. And we won this time because they underestimated us. They have proven there are no limits to their deception.
But there is also no limit to their arrogance. So we won one.
What Changed?
They said the part they deeply believe out loud. They actually said that they own our children. That parents have no authority to choose what schools teach. That they have the right to fill the minds of our precious little ones with their disgusting filth.
Parents reacted furiously and courageously.
But this is what they’ve been saying and doing for a century. They just got caught saying it. Don’t expect them to make such a ridiculous mistake again. They’ve been actively corrupting our children for a hundred years. It’s what brought our nation to this point.
The hard work of homeschooling has made a difference. The difficult job of paying for our own schools while the government bathes in our money has been worth it. The high prices of Christian colleges have paid off. The school board fights took them by surprise.
Now is not the time to do a silly victory dance in the end zone for the cameras. It feels really good but we should keep perspective. This wasn’t the Super Bowl.
It Was A Victory
It’s more like we just got our first hit in little league and reached first base for the first time. We are in the game! Woo hoo! Let’s take the team out for ice cream and pizza. We need to blow off some steam.
But the reality of the situation is different. The truth is more like we have gotten the first report that the chemo is beginning to work. Or that we’ve hit the eye of the hurricane.
I feel like we have just reached the foot of Mt. Everest. It is a relief to be able to begin the real climb after hoping so long. But I’m afraid to shout victory too loudly. There is such a long way to go and there are so many ways to fall.
A Warning About Joy
Joy is a funny thing. When you have been living on adrenaline and driven by fear long enough, you are exhausted beyond realizing. A good first report can have the wonderful effect of relaxing you enough that the great letdown occurs. Adrenaline shuts down.
When the stress drains away for the first time in a long time, your hidden exhaustion can make you lie down into a deep sleep. The tiredness will show up strong in the morning and you might wonder what is wrong? You will find stiff joints and muscles you forgot you had.
You might feel like sitting and staring. You might catch yourself napping. You may just feel too heavy to move. It’s very similar to the way depression feels. But don’t worry.
What’s Really Happening
You are not sinking into the abyss. Your wounds are healing. Your bones are strengthening. The deprivation has depleted your resources and getting completely well is taking a lot of energy.
But that is what we are doing – getting well. Together.
Sometime soon we will begin shuffling into small groups and having quiet conversations. We will analyze the victories and dissect the failures. Such battles bring good hard lessons that come no other way. Dark humor opens the door to laughter which is a good first step.
We stop leaning on canes and take our first tentative steps without crutches. Bandages come off, stitches come out, and scars fade. Lazy days lead to afternoons with short-lived bursts of energy. We can feel change in the air that foreshadows the hard training ahead.
The Good Fight
The war is not over. There’s a long, hard fight ahead. But for the first time in a long time, it takes no great stretch of imagination to see the future, so long hidden behind dark clouds, now glistening in the distance.
God’s hope is no mirage.
The fact that He loves us is testimony to the fact that He’s an optimist. The naysayers are wrong. Someday soon all our troubles will be forgotten as we sit near and hear the story of His great victory.
Until then, let us gather our strength and sharpen our blades, and whisper our prayers of preparation. Let us find our core. For if this is to be our time of fate and fury, let us stand to meet the challenge of the morning sun with joy.
