I did not understand “all we like sheep have gone astray” as a kid. I do as an adult. You put a celebrity or poll result before a crowd and they will go hopping along like happy sheep. Humans are terrified of being the odd one. We look for trends, insulate ourselves inside the crowd, and shuffle our way through life, unaware of the permanent things. The trends are signaled in media and in congested groups, like urban centers and schools. People do not arrive at trendy conclusions all at the same time on their own. But they love looking down their noses at those who are tardy to the party.
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Why are we like this? How do we built resiliency? Easy. Learn to value truth above belonging to herds. Test the floorboards of your faith and beliefs to see if they are real. And then own it. Be okay with feeling left out by fickle people. Be okay with sneers. Be okay with uncertainty before you’ve reached your own conclusion. Get to know the Shepherd.
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We are conditioned to be on the lookout for trends. And marketing engineers have perfected it. Every year, no, every season fashion trends are released. And the whole market adapts and new individual tastes take shape immediately around the signals of the cover of the magazine. We want to be “up to date!” We want to be “progressive!” With these levers to turn a populace so easily, just imagine how quickly they can turn neighbors against each other with mandates.
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It’s trivial in the multi-billion fashion industry. It’s deadly when translated to relationships and politics. Yet here we are.
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Jesus found trends to be deadly. The people fell into lockstep with the Pharisees who twisted and contorted the truth to fit a certain fashion. He warned people about it. The fashionistas hated him. The open hearted loved him. Jesus died because of it. But he also rose again because “all we like sheep” can’t keep the True Man down.
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Thanks for coming to my #sundaysermon
