Wake Or Woke

Did you ever watch a young child draw a person?
Usually, the head will be extremely large.
The arms and legs will be very tiny.
The arms and legs will seem to come out of the head itself.

This is developmentally normal for a young child.
They will learn soon enough that arms attach at the shoulders.
They will learn that there is a torso from which the legs attach.
They will learn.

Did you ever think that the Mr. Potato Head toy resembles the way a child draws a person?
No wonder the toy has been so popular with children for so many years.
It is a toy that looks as if a child designed it.
It is a toy that resembles a young child’s perception of a person.

I have some of my children’s early drawings.
They drew Mommy and Daddy, but they resemble Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
That’s the way it should be at that young age.
They learned soon enough.

If you watch a young child play with Mr. Potato Head, you cannot help but giggle.
The eyes may be on top of the head.
The nose may be in the place where the ear belongs.
Their person has a Picassoesque look.

My daughter sent a picture to all of us a few days ago.
My granddaughter was playing with Mrs. Potato Head.
Mrs. Potato Head, with her lovely hat and shoes, was all mixed up.
In my granddaughter’s two-year-old mind, the parts were there, just not where they should be.

Very soon, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head will be assembled correctly.
The parts will be where they are supposed to be.
For now, every available hole on the potato shaped body had some sort of part attached.
Only one arm could be seen.

It is perfectly normal behavior for a two-year-old.
We grownups would assemble the toy much like a person really looks.
Unless we were Picasso, we would put the pieces in the right place.
What is adorable for a two-year-old is questionable for an adult.

I thought of my granddaughter’s creation all afternoon.
The way Mrs. Potato Head looked is the way I feel about the world right now.
Everything is mixed up.
Nothing is the way it should be.

The pieces of our culture do not fit properly.
Right is wrong.
Wrong is right.
Fear is keeping everyone silent.

Labels are slung back and forth.
Everyone is shouting.
No one is listening.
Anger is the order of the day.

We are sleeping.
We think the chaos will be over soon.
This person, or that person, or the next person will fix it.
It’s not really that bad.

It would be understandable if we were a two-year-old playing with Mrs. Potato Head,
Pieces could be placed wherever our young imaginations chose to put them.
But we are not two-years-old and we are not playing.
This is the real thing and the stakes are high.

On what are we basing our thinking?
Are we basing our thinking on how we feel?
Are we basing our thinking on which commentator is the most persuasive?
Do we have a plumbline of Truth by which we measure everything?

I do not have a Twitter account, but apparently a debate is raging there.
There are people actually debating that 2+2=5.
One person’s comment stayed with me.
Apparently it is “woke” to undermine the truth we all know…

I searched for the best definition of woke.
Referring to a perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice and racial justice.
In order for us to claim an awareness of these issues, we have to undermine truth as we know it.
No thank you.

The best way to combat the injustices we see is to combat them with the Truth.
If 2+2=5, then buildings and bridges will not be built properly.
We would have no standard on which to measure even the simplest thing.
For some reason, our culture thinks that it is just fine to debate Truth.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. (John 18:33-38)

Pilate asked Jesus the question of our age.
WHAT IS TRUTH?
Sadly, Pilate never waited for an answer.
Truth was standing in front of him and Pilate went out without hearing what Jesus had to say.

If that question was asked on the street today, the answers would be all over the place.
Not many people could define truth, since to them truth is subjective.
You believe what you want to believe and I believe what I want to believe.
2+2=5.

We, who know the Way, the Truth, and the Life must speak up.
We are not two-year-olds.
We know better.
We have a Standard; we have a Plumbline.

Wake up!
Liberties and freedoms that we hold dear are only a generation away from extinction.
There can be no justice apart from God.
There is no Truth apart from God’s Word.

2 responses to “Wake Or Woke”

1. Amen, My Friend.
   However, it’s scary to know that if you stand up to someone overcome with evil in their heart, you may become a martyr for patriotism. Times are very scary; especially, when people act like mean potato heads. This writing truly went into my heart! Sometimes I think that most people have lost their moral compass. It’s very sad. Keep praying.

   Reply

   • Karen,
     I pray for the hearts of people to turn to God. No government or program can ever bring about the change that is needed. Only God can change a heart. There is always HOPE in Him!
     Gina

     Reply