I am reminded of the story of Elisha and the chariots of fire. The King of Syria sent his army down to Dothan to capture Elisha, who had been revealing that king’s plans to the King of Israel. Elisha’s servant was scared so Elisha prayed that the servant’s eyes would be opened to fully see. They saw, surrounding them, the army of the Lord in chariots of fire.
When the army of Syria approached, instead of praying that God would send out his army against Syria, Elisha prayed that the Syrians would be blinded. He then led the blinded army into the hands of the King of Israel and commanded that the King of Israel give the army bread and water then send them home to Syria. Through this they achieved peace. The word choice in the scripture for blindness suggests they were not blinded into darkness, but overcome by the light — blinded as if having looked into a bright light.
I am reminded of this story by all the anger I have seen in the past few weeks. We are in the midsts of an ongoing discussion on whether the right should mimic the left in its hate, rage, and angry yelling. When the left won it all in 2008, they became even angrier. Some on the right think we should be angry now — outraged at everything.
I suggest that our ways are not their ways, our values are not their values, and our victory need not come through anger. We must be happy warriors.
To be sure, it can be somewhat cathartic to be angry at what the Republican Party has done. It has failed to hold President Obama accountable, surrendered its instruments of checks and balances, and done the bidding of check writers instead of voters. We can be angry at Planned Parenthood and the murder of the innocent. But I worry about a people outraged at everything as much as I worry about a people outraged by nothing.
Right now conservatives seem outraged more by other conservatives disagreeing on candidate choices than outraged by Hillary Clinton or the Iran deal or a Republican Congress letting the President get away with everything. There are those who seem to think that whoever screams loudest or most hysterically will win. There are those who seem to think we should replace a President who has exceeded his constitutional authority with a Republican who will exceed his constitutional authority to do what the GOP wants.
Honestly, Barack Obama figured this out in 2008. The left’s hysteria was out of control and he came in with a smile and a promise for change. It has worked out terribly, but he put a smile on the left’s anger, which then quickly turned back to anger after victory.
Where are the happy warriors on the right? Where is the laugh at the lunacy?
Our ways are not their ways. We do not need to adopt the left’s ways to win. The left would use the state to seize us and those who dissent. Instead, we should blind them in the light of sound policy and a positive message and then lead the nation to a better place.
Right now, the right is at each other’s throats screaming one way or the other about Trump, and angry. The left is headed toward the nomination of a humorless future felon. All of us should be enjoying this. Open your eyes. We are surrounded by a majority of Americans who do not trust Hillary Clinton and would not re-elect Barack Obama. There is not just one Republican who can win. Most of them can. But none of them will if the undecided are met by scowling, angry yellers instead of the open arms of conservative policy that believes in the freedom to make a better life for oneself.
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